Detectives in Toowoomba are appealing for public help in an investigation into historical child sex offences on the Darling Downs. A 52-year-old Murphy's Creek man was charged on 16 October with two counts of indecent treatment of a child and other offences. It is alleged the offences occurred between 2007 and 2010 at a private residence in Toowoomba. He has been remanded in custody and will appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on 8 December.
The United States has revealed the USS Colorado as the first nuclear submarine to deploy to Australia under the AUKUS pact. The submarine will be based at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia from late 2027, Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement. It is the first of up to four US submarines, plus one from Britain, expected to rotate through the base. The plan has drawn criticism after the US said it would supply second-hand vessels rather than the new submarines first promised.
West Australians who have not yet claimed their $100 fuel relief voucher and plan to submit a paper form are unlikely to receive the money before Christmas. Paper forms have been taking about 10 weeks to arrive, and a spokesperson advised applicants to allow nine to 10 weeks, with postage possibly longer in some regional areas. About $110 million has been paid to more than a million of the 2.3 million eligible licence holders since July 1.
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A popular bowling alley in Perth's north has closed indefinitely after a fire broke out on Monday evening. Rosemount Bowl on Fitzgerald Street in North Perth was evacuated, along with the nearby Pot Black and Bloodlines venues. The business said at about 10pm that everyone had left safely and no one was hurt. The fire is not believed to be suspicious and is being managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. A witness claims the blaze started in the kitchen, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The United States has named USS Colorado as the first nuclear submarine to deploy to Australia under the AUKUS agreement. The 10-year-old Virginia-class vessel will be based at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia from late 2027, Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement. It is the first of up to four American submarines and one British submarine due to rotate through the base. The announcement follows criticism that the US would supply second-hand vessels rather than the brand-new submarine first promised. The statement says the arrangement will comply with relevant non-proliferation treaties.
Complaints about the Australian Taxation Office have risen sharply as the agency ramps up debt collection. The Tax Ombudsman received 2376 complaints in the six months to September, up 74 per cent on the same period last year. The office said it received 1358 complaints over that period, because the ombudsman's figures also included matters not involving the tax office. The ombudsman found the tax office acted reasonably in 63 per cent of debt collection complaints it investigated. Outstanding tax debt stood at $54.2 billion in 2024/25, with $35.9 billion owed by small businesses.
A Western Australian country town is giving 16 per cent of its annual rates income to keep a local doctor. The Shire of Narembeen pays the local medical practice $370,000 a year and also provides a building, a car and a house. Shire President Holly Cusack says the arrangement is financially unsustainable but that losing the GP would mean a 120-kilometre round trip to the nearest doctor. In Kalbarri, a community group crowdfunded more than $70,000 to set up a not-for-profit, bulk-billing clinic after the town's only GP closed in June.
Electrical work in Western Australia must be carried out by licensed professionals, and checking a licence takes only a few minutes. Electrical worker and contractor licences can both be verified through the public online search run by Building and Energy, the state regulator. Customers should confirm the licence is current and the name matches. Unlicensed work can raise safety risks and may lead an home insurer to dispute a claim. Licensed contractors must also lodge a notice of completion after most work.
Analysts and big energy users say loopholes in a proposed federal gas reservation scheme could let Santos escape its obligations. Under the plan, exporters would set aside up to 20 per cent of their production for the domestic market each year. Union leader Paul Farrow warned the draft laws could allow paper supplies and wide ministerial discretion. Santos has been accused of driving up east coast prices by buying large volumes of local gas to export. Industry lobby Australian Energy Producers argued the policy goes too far and could reduce supply.
WA police will use a new drone program to gather real-time intelligence before officers reach emergencies. Drones will launch from docking stations in Kwinana, Rockingham and Baldivis and can operate beyond line of sight. They will be dispatched from a command centre in Perth. Police Minister Reece Whitby says the program is an Australian first. Targeted uses include family and domestic violence matters, missing persons, crimes in progress and stolen vehicles.
The AFL has released its 2027 Gather Round fixtures, with Adelaide and South Australia hosting a weekend of football. The Crows are expected to open proceedings on Friday night and Port Adelaide to close on Sunday afternoon. Some supporters had feared the draw would include weak matches, but the writer argues the league has delivered strong contests. Highlights include Adelaide against Brisbane, Collingwood against Sydney, Carlton against Melbourne, and Port Adelaide against the Western Bulldogs, featuring Zak Butters' return. Only two games were judged less appealing.
Nelson Bay golfer Lachlan Pearson has won a bronze medal in the Level 5 Division 2 category at the Special Olympics Australia National Games in Melbourne. The 18-year-old represented Team NSW at Sandy Golf Links, finishing third in the 18-hole gross division. Pearson, a 12.9 marker at Nelson Bay Golf Club, also won an international gold medal earlier this year at the Macau Golf Masters. The National Games served as a qualifying event for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
US stocks closed higher on Monday after two weeks of declines, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lifted by optimism around AI companies. Anthropic disclosed steep losses and rapid revenue growth in its filing for a US initial public offering. Semiconductor firms helped drive the gains, while Meta plans to raise up to $US95 billion in equity to fund its AI expansion. Investors are watching the Federal Reserve's policy statement on Wednesday and a busy week of earnings reports.
The environment watchdog has warned that Woodside Energy's plan to develop a gasfield off Western Australia's coast could damage coral reefs and wildlife. Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will lecture at the University of Sydney from this week. The Australian Signals Directorate has warned that some online services may go offline unexpectedly. Other stories include a Queensland funding cut to a community legal centre, a body found in floodwaters and Brazil's presidential election result.
The Israeli military has said its decisions on attacks against Iran are based solely on security considerations, after reports of a feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel 12 reported the two were at odds, while CNN reported that military chief Eyal Zamir warned that strikes before the election would delay the vote. Analysts say tension between the government and the military has been common. Netanyahu has stressed the Iranian threat in the final days of the election campaign, and polling suggests Gadi Eisenkot's party could challenge his Likud for the most seats.
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Woodside Energy's plan to drill for gas off Western Australia's north-west coast could significantly damage coral reefs and endangered turtles, according to a draft letter from the state's environmental watchdog. The letter, written in 2023 and seen by the Guardian, said the company's protections for turtles and blue whales near Scott Reef would be ineffective. In February 2024, the watchdog told Woodside it planned to reject the project. Woodside has since added shear rams to its drilling plans, a step it says would limit the length of any well blowout.
Plans for a $3 billion upgrade to Perth Airport have been revealed, including a new Airport Central terminal, a parallel runway, two multistorey carparks and an airport hotel. Premier Roger Cook said the development, due to open in 2031, will add 4.4 million seats to and from Perth each year. Qantas and Jetstar will move to the new precinct. Airport chief executive Jason Waters said biometric technology will help passengers move through the airport more quickly. Several new routes have already started, including extra flights to Tokyo and a new service to Christchurch, New Zealand.
