What's happening in Perth

Police officers and fire and emergency services personnel who trained in the past five years can now apply for a Keystart home loan with a 2% deposit and no lender’s mortgage insurance, after the State Government expanded eligibility for its Skilled Start Home Loan on Monday.

Skilled Start launched in December and was limited to people who had started or finished a formal apprenticeship, graduated from TAFE or university with a Certificate III or higher, or begun work in an eligible building and construction occupation within the past five years. The expansion adds a pathway for frontline workers who earn their qualification at an academy rather than a campus.

Who qualifies now

Eligibility covers anyone who completed training at the WA Police Academy or with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in the past five years and is still employed in that field. Graduates of equivalent Australian policing and emergency services agencies qualify too, including Australian Federal Police officers, as long as they hold a paid operational role and are living in Western Australia or planning to move here. 

Recruits and trainees are also included — basically anyone in a paid recruit or trainee program through either academy can apply while still in training.

There are limits on who counts as frontline, though. Volunteer, honorary, and unpaid emergency services members are not eligible under this pathway. Neither are non-operational staff working in areas such as HR, finance, ICT, or administration, although those workers may still qualify through the existing Certificate III route.

“Our police, fire and emergency services personnel dedicate their lives and careers to keeping Western Australians safe, and we’re proud to support them with more opportunities to achieve home ownership,” Police Minister Reece Whitby said.

Skilled Start requires a deposit of 2% or $2,000.00, whichever is higher, charges no lender’s mortgage insurance, and applies a one percentage point discount to Keystart’s standard variable interest rate. Buyers who build pay $400.00 a month during construction and can put the first home owner grant towards their deposit. 

“Through Keystart, more early career frontline workers can access a Skilled Start Home Loan, and get into a home of their own with just a 2 per cent deposit and lower ongoing repayments,” Treasurer Rita Saffioti said.

What’s the catch?

Skilled Start caps the purchase price at $700,000 for an established property and $750,000 for a new home, an off-the-plan purchase, or a home under construction. Perth’s median house price was $938,000 for the 12 months to June, based on REIWA figures, which puts the median Perth house beyond what this loan will fund.

The expansion targets people at the very start of their careers. The Western Australian Police Union has been pointing at the other end of the service.

Union President Simone Taplin told 6PR Mornings in June that recruitment matters, but that retention is where the pressure sits. “We’ve had at least 50 retirements and 80 resignations in the last few months, so replenishing those and actually remunerating our police officers to make sure that they are career police officers is something that we need to look at,” she said.

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Dennis John McKenna sexually abused 29 boys while they boarded as students at St Andrew’s Hostel in Katanning between 1975 and 1990.

Plans for a sex-positive, LGBTQI+ exclusive club in Perth have been rejected by council, with councillors arguing the venue belongs in an entertainment precinct.

Follow our live coverage of news across Perth and WA here.

James Sinclair Thomson was arrested by police and appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday, where he was released on bail.

The defendants in a defamation trial more than seven years in the making have called for a covert recording to be admitted as evidence, arguing that “a journalist doesn’t get a better source than the plaintiff’s own voice”. 

A proposed eight-storey building has sparked fears of overdevelopment in a historic pocket of Perth, as residents accuse council of failing to protect its past.

Blue and pink fairy orchids are already out along the Loop Trail in Kalbarri National Park. Snail orchids have come up along the Mullewa Wildflower Walk, Murchison rose is flowering near Island Rock, and mulla mulla is spreading white and yellow across Carnarvon. Wildflower season on Australia’s Coral Coast normally runs from early August to early October. This year, rain across the region has brought some early first blooms, so now’s the time to plan a wildflower road trip.

The Coral Coast starts at Cervantes, just under two hours’ drive north of Perth, and runs 1,100 kilometres to Exmouth. The flowering doesn’t happen everywhere at once. It usually begins up around Exmouth and the Ningaloo coast, then moves south through the Mid West, reaching Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles in spring. 

Here are the places that you should be adding to your itinerary.

Lesueur National Park

The first place you’ll want to add sits roughly 250 kilometres from Perth, off Indian Ocean Drive near Jurien Bay. Lesueur National Park holds around 10% of Western Australia’s known flora inside its boundaries, with more than 900 plant species recorded there, including hakeas, grevilleas, banksias, kangaroo paws, lambertia, and a long list of orchids.

The 18.5 kilometre Lesueur Scenic Drive is sealed and suits most vehicles, and there are walking trails off it if you want to get out and look properly. It’s close enough that you can make it a day trip from Perth, or an overnighter, but we’d suggest taking your time and making a full trip of it.

Coalseam Conservation Park Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Coalseam is about 400 kilometres from Perth, roughly four and a half hours. It’s the most reliable place on the Coral Coast for everlastings, and the carpets of yellow, white, and pink flowers running across the country are why it turns up in most people’s photos of the season. Chances are you’ve seen photos of Coalseam, including a lot of the ones that we’ve used.

Two things to know before you commit to it. The gravel road on your way in can close after heavy rain, so check with a visitor centre before going. And Depot Hill, the smaller everlastings site near Mingenew that people usually go to at the same time as a Coalseam visit, is closed for the 2026 season.

Mullewa and Pindar Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Mullewa sits inland from Geraldton and is the town most closely tied to wildflower season. The Mullewa Wildflower Walk already has an abundance of snail orchids along the trail.

“It’s been busy as usual at the Mullewa Visitor Centre, and we’re gearing up for what looks set to be a bumper wildflower season. With early blooms already appearing and strong interest from visitors, we’re looking forward to welcoming travellers eager to experience the incredible wildflower displays our region has to offer,” said Natalie Hillier, Manager of the Mullewa Visitor Centre.

The town runs Outback Bloom, its four-day wildflower festival, from August 27th to 30th, with guided walks, expert talks, photography workshops, and the wildflower show and bushland diorama in the Mullewa Town Hall.

Just outside Mullewa, about 454 kilometres from Perth, Pindar is the place to find the wreath flower (Lechenaultia macrantha), which grows in circular formations of frilled red, white, and pink petals and appears almost nowhere else. Locals are reporting promising conditions for it this year. It commonly grows on the roadside verges, so when you’re pulling off the road, park with some thought about the plants so you don’t crush them.

Kalbarri National Park Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Six hours from Perth and 570 kilometres up, Kalbarri is a popular spot for many reasons, but it should be known more for the wildflowers. Blue and pink fairy orchids have been spotted along the Loop Trail, Murchison rose is out near Island Rock and along the coast, and guinea flower and purple thryptomene have both been recorded.

Access is easy compared with the inland stops. Sealed roads run to the Kalbarri Skywalk, the Z-Bend lookout, Hawks Head, and Ross Graham inland, and to Red Bluff, Natural Bridge, Rainbow Valley, and Mushroom Rock on the coast.

Carnarvon and Cape Range National Park

Carnarvon is bursting with colour, with mulla mulla currently in white and yellow, with pink and purple due later in the season. The hardy native flowers grow across large stretches of the surrounding country and are the reason plenty of people stop rather than drive straight through.

Cape Range National Park, at the far end of the run near Exmouth, is about 1,250 kilometres from Perth and 12 to 13 hours of driving. It’s flowering now with just about everything you could imagine!

What it costs and what you’ll need

You don’t need a four-wheel drive. Sealed roads reach the great majority of the hotspots listed above, and the exceptions are gravel rather than serious off-road.

Park entry fees apply at Nambung, Lesueur, Kalbarri, Francois Peron, and Cape Range national parks, at $17.00 per vehicle carrying 12 or fewer people, or $10.00 concession. Picking wildflowers is illegal in Western Australia and carries a fine of up to $2,000.00, so photos only, and stick to the marked paths. 

Remember that canola fields are private property so don’t enter those fields, no matter how good the yellow looks from the road.

Accommodation in Wildflower Country fills up through August and September, so make sure you have a plan for where you’re staying before you lock in the route.

Australia’s Coral Coast runs a Wildflower Watch page, now in its second year, that collects sightings from locals and wildflower enthusiasts on the ground. It’s the closest thing to a live map of what’s out and where.

The post Wildflower Season Has Started Early On The Coral Coast Highway: Where To Stop On The Drive North appeared first on So Perth

A British YouTuber and musician accused of violently raping a fan after a gig in Perth was an entitled semi-celebrity who cared little for his alleged victim, a jury has heard.

Brabham Hotel opened this morning at 11:00 am, giving a rapidly growing Perth suburb a pub that locals can call home. Inside there’s a modern bistro, a dedicated sports bar, a beer garden, and a private function space for those special events.

Parents will be happy; there’s a large outdoor playground within the beer garden, and an inside playroom next to the bistro so parents can eat while the little ones stay occupied. The beer garden also has live music sessions and screens showing sport, which is going to make it popular for Freo fans on their run towards the big dance in late September.

“We are so excited to finally welcome the Brabham community through our doors,” said Venue Manager Dave Snelgar.

“We wanted to create a genuine local where families, friends and sports fans could come together, whether it is for a relaxed meal, a few drinks, live music or a big game.”

The food menu is as you’d expect from a venue like this, leaning on pub staples — chicken parmi, fish and chips, steaks, and burgers, with maple sriracha fried chicken wings, salt and pepper squid, pork belly bites, and crispy eggplant alongside them.

Opening weekend

The pub is marking the occasion with a Locals Weekend from Friday, July 31st to Sunday, August 2nd.

• Friday starts with Spin the Wheel, a meat raffle, and giveaways, with live music from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and sport on the big screen. 
• Former West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui drops in on Saturday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, followed by another round of live music from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. 
• Sunday is the one for the kids, with a Teddy Bears Picnic pop-up, face painting, and free entertainment from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, then live music from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

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The prime minister and premier travelled to the Pilbara for the announcement while visiting Perdaman’s $6.45 billion Project Ceres urea plant on the Burrup Peninsula.

Follow our live coverage of all the news around WA here.

The business owner behind a covert recording at the centre of a defamation trial has admitted he decided to record a meeting with the Peel Development Commission because he had concerns he was “getting set up”. 

The 29-year-old has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and appeared in the Supreme Court of WA for the first time on Monday where her legal team foreshadowed an application for a judge-alone trial.

Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, better known as Yung Filly, is accused of biting, slapping, strangling and raping a 20-year-old fan after a gig at a Hillarys nightclub.

The FMG boss warned it would be “naive to extinction” if nations do not collaborate to govern the growth of artificial intelligence.

Perth Film Studios will open to the public for two days in September, with a careers day for students on Friday, September 11th and a family open day on Saturday, September 12th. Entry is free, registration is required, and capacity is limited across sessions.

Free tickets and the full program will be released on August 3rd. Until then, the Arts and Culture Trust is taking registrations of interest so people are notified the moment booking opens.

The Friday careers day

The first day is aimed at secondary students weighing up a career in screen. It’s open to teachers, principals, and educators at WA high schools, TAFEs, and tertiary institutions running film, television, and related courses. Schools will book their excursion sessions directly; students don’t need to register individually.

The program covers education pathways and the range of jobs a production runs on, with industry professionals and filmmakers on site. Job roles on show run from runners and riggers to programmers, post-production staff, line producers, location managers, gaffers, and games animators.

“Whether you’re a student, a local, a Western Australian creative looking to break into the industry, or simply curious about how it all works, this is your chance to step inside and learn more,” Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said.

“We want Western Australians to feel proud of the creativity happening in their own backyard and to enjoy a fun, hands-on day that brings our world-class screen industry to life.”

The Saturday open day

Saturday is family day. The studios will run live demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and activities across the site, including a Behind-the-Scenes Zone that takes visitors through each stage of shooting a music video in a working studio.

Australian screen productions including Outback Truckers and Whale Shark Jack will make appearances. Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is bringing the interactive puppet whale from The Whale, and Freestyle Now will perform a BMX Bandits-themed stunt show.

Fremantle-based Ben Elton will be the keynote speaker on the Saturday session, hosting an in-conversation session on his career writing and producing across television, radio, film, and theatre.

“The Perth Film Studios open day is a chance for families to explore the magic of filmmaking right here in Malaga,” Deputy Premier and West Swan MLA Rita Saffioti said.

“There’s something to spark every imagination – from movies to games, costumes, and special effects.”

“This is an opportunity for the community to see the screen industry in action and experience firsthand what we’re building for the future of Western Australia and our economy.”

How to get tickets

If you’d like to attend, you can register your interest here to be notified when general tickets go live.

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Perth will host AFL Origin two more times over the next four years, with a WA side to meet South Australia at Optus Stadium in February 2027 and Victoria again in 2029. The State Government confirmed both fixtures earlier today.

The February match this year sold out, drawing 58,141 to Optus Stadium for the first elite-level Origin game staged in Australia since 1999. Victoria took the Polly Farmer Cup by 24 points, 18.17 (125) to 15.11 (101), after WA cut the margin to six early in the final quarter.

WA and South Australia have not met at this level in almost 30 years, and the 2027 game will mark 50 years after the first State of Origin match was played at Subiaco Oval in 1977. Adelaide Oval then hosts the 2028 fixture between South Australia and Victoria, before Origin returns to Perth in 2029 for a rematch with the Victorians.

“Hosting the 2027 and 2029 AFL Origin against South Australia and Victoria is a significant boost for our local tourism industry and businesses, offering more local jobs,” Premier Roger Cook said.

“Western Australia has proven the natural home of AFL Origin after hosting the successful return this year against Victoria, drawing thousands of interstate visitors and millions of viewers from across the country.

“Western Australia cannot wait to host South Australia next year at Optus Stadium, in what will be the 50th anniversary of the first Origin match played in the State.”

Revenue from the sold-out February match totalled $1,501,500, which the State Government says is being reinvested into WA football through AFL Origin legacy initiatives including targeted school programs and regional talent development. Revenue from the 2027 and 2029 matches is earmarked for community participation.

“This year’s AFL Origin was a huge success, and bringing it back for two more years means even more fans will get the chance to experience the very best of our homegrown talent,” Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said.

“We’re committed to ensuring the benefits of our major sporting events flow down to our grassroots clubs, with more than $1.5 million from last year’s event reinvested directly back into community football across our State.”

“AFL Origin is not only inspiring the next generation of football stars but building the programs and pathways they need to develop their talent right across Western Australia.”

How much is it costing taxpayers?

What hasn’t been disclosed is how much the Cook Government is paying to keep the fixture in Perth. Leaked documents obtained by 9News Perth and Business News, reported at the start of July, put the State’s spend on attracting major events at $33 million, including $13 million for Rugby World Cup matches. Cook disputed that total, telling WAtoday the figures didn’t line up with the government’s own record keeping, and pointed to $180 million in economic benefit from major events in the 2024-25 financial year.

Tourism Minister Reece Whitby, who has said every dollar spent returns $2.80, maintains that individual event fees stay commercial-in-confidence, on the grounds that disclosure would undercut WA’s ability to compete for events against other states and countries.

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has been pushing for those figures to be published, and named the Origin match among the deals he wants costed publicly, asking in March: “how much did AFL State of Origin cost?”

The post Perth Locks In AFL Origin For 2027 And 2029, With South Australia Up First appeared first on So Perth

Treebate reopens on Monday, August 3rd, with 10,000 more rebates of up to $150.00 for Western Australians who buy a native tree and plant it on their property. The terms have loosened in year two: anyone who claimed in the first round can claim again, and the $150.00 can now be spread across up to five trees rather than spent on one.

“More than 10,000 Western Australians took part in the Treebate program’s first year, helping to increase tree canopy, support local biodiversity and create more liveable suburbs,” Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said.

“We’ve listened to community feedback and expanded the program so residents can now claim a rebate of $150.00 for the purchase and planting of up to five native trees.”

The first year of the $6.9 million program cleared its 10,000-tree target, with more than 10,000 Western Australians claiming a rebate.

Perth’s canopy problem

Perth has the smallest tree canopy of any Australian capital city, and the Cook Government’s Urban Greening Strategy commits to lifting cover across Perth and Peel to 30% by 2040. Year two of Treebate is aimed at the suburbs sitting furthest from that mark.

“This round, we want to focus on Western Australia’s outer suburbs, which have typically had a lower percentage of urban canopy than the inner suburbs,” Swinbourn said.

Reaching 30% means planting faster than Perth loses trees, and the losses have been steep. The polyphagous shot-hole borer has forced removals across the metropolitan area since it was detected in East Fremantle in 2021, including at Hyde Park, and in June 2025 the national management group overseeing the response accepted the beetle could no longer be eradicated, shifting the work to slowing its spread. 

How to claim a Treebate

The rebate matches what you spend, up to $150.00, and the tree has to be a native with a canopy that reaches at least three metres at maturity. Claims need a tax invoice and a photo of the plant label showing the scientific or common name. The ServiceWA app is the quickest and easiest way to claim the rebate, with a paper form also available for anyone who can’t, or doesn’t want to, use the app. Postal claims can take up to 30 days and require 100 points of identification. Claims close once the annual allocation of 10,000 has been reached.

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