What's happening in Perth

Sam Kerr Kicking Goals, a live-action series based on the children’s books by Fremantle-born Matildas captain Sam Kerr and Fiona Harris, will film in WA from early next year. The State Government announced yesterday that it had secured the production, which will stream on Paramount+ in 2027.

“I’m excited to announce that with the Cook Labor Government’s support, Sam Kerr Kicking Goals will film in Western Australia,” said Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk.

“The series will showcase all that Western Australia has to offer – including our world-class talent, crew, and diverse locations – while celebrating the story of one of our sporting greats.”

The series follows Kerr as an 11-year-old in Western Australia with her best friends, before she captained the Matildas and played for Chelsea. Orange Entertainment Co is producing it for Paramount+ and Network 10. Diya Eid created the series, Tig Terera and Rebecca O’Brien are directing, and Kerr is an executive producer.

“It’s pretty surreal knowing that Kicking Goals is being adapted into a TV series. These stories are all about believing in yourself and having a go, so it feels really special that a whole new generation will get to experience them on screen,” Kerr said.

A nationwide search has started for the young actors who’ll play Sam and her friends.

“Now the search begins for the young actor who’ll play me, and I honestly can’t wait to see someone bring that younger version of me to life and step into my boots. I hope it’s an experience they’ll never forget!” she said.

Nathan Lloyd Casting is taking applications from anywhere in Australia for supporting roles, including Greek or Lebanese girls aged ten to 13 and Sudanese men and women aged 35 to 55. No acting experience is needed, and the roles are paid.

The production is expected to bring more than $5 million into the state and create more than 130 local jobs, including five heads of department and 60 cast. Orange Entertainment Co is calling for local crew for the series, which enters pre-production at the start of next year.

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Scientists believe there is a likely correlation between poorer conditions and the number of whale carcasses that have washed up along Perth beaches over the past month. 

The Town of Cambridge says joining forces with debt-laden or dysfunctional local governments would risk ratepayer funds.

Riverton MLA Jagadish Krishnan has vowed to defend the lawsuit, and has countersued the US businessman behind it with defamation proceedings in the WA Supreme Court.

A US nuclear-powered submarine with 160 crew, including seven Australians, has docked south of Perth for maintenance ahead of becoming the first vessel to begin regular AUKUS rotations from WA next year.

A Perth man has been sentenced to nine months jail after he was found running a cruel puppy farm at a home in Canning Vale.

Council resolved to summarily dismiss Liz Ledger following an external misconduct inquiry, but she’s already quit.

WA textile artist Ben David’s new exhibition, Threads of Listening, opens at FORM Gallery in Claremont next Thursday, November 5th, and its centrepiece is a work you’re encouraged to touch. The Listening Wall is a large tufted textile, and pressing different parts of it plays different field recordings Ben made in Claremont and elsewhere in WA. The show runs until January 3rd.

“I wanted to make a textile artwork that could be listened to as well as looked at,” said Ben David. “Touch becomes a way of exploring the work and activating the landscape within it.”

There are 20 works in the show, five years in the making. Most are hand-tufted in pure wool and acrylic yarn, alongside two wool sculptures, a painting, and a cement sculpture. Ben starts with what he sees around the state, from trees and plants to water and rock formations, and reworks it into abstract compositions of colour and texture.

Ben created the exhibition during his Artist in Residence program at FORM and dedicated it to his grandmother, Roma Joyce Stewart, who got him into textile art as a child.

The public program

The opening night runs from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on November 5th, and Ben will be there. It’s free, and you can RSVP for the opening now.

On November 14th, Ben gives a free artist talk from 11:00 am to noon about how the show came together, his work in disability-led arts and access, and the collaborations that bring community voices into his pieces.

His two tufting workshops, on November 21st and December 5th, also run from 11:00 am to noon. Ben takes beginners through the technique with wool, colour, and texture. They’re open to anyone 16 and over, and tickets are $100.00 with all materials supplied. Each group adds to the same shared textile, so it grows from one session to the next. Bookings are open now for the November 21st workshop and the December 5th workshop.

On November 28th, from 11:00 am to noon, he leads a tactile tour of the exhibition, explaining the materials and techniques behind each work while you handle the wool and fabric yourself. It’s free, but you’ll need to RSVP for the tactile tour.

FORM Gallery is in the old Goods Shed right next to Claremont Station, so the train is the easiest way there.

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Seven Perth venues have live shucking sessions on with Leeuwin Coast’s Albany Rock Oysters through spring and summer, from Jerry Fraser’s weekly Wednesdays at Canteen Pizza to Thursday evenings by the river in East Fremantle. The oysters came back into season on October 19th, and they’ll be around until the end of April next year.

Leeuwin Coast grows them in Albany’s Oyster Harbour, where fresh water from the King and Kalgan rivers meets the Southern Ocean, and this year they picked up two golds and a silver at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.

Here’s where to catch them being shucked.

Canteen Pizza

Jerry Fraser, who Canteen calls WA’s King of Oysters, is into his fourth decade as an oysterman. He’s shucking Albany Rock Oysters at Canteen Pizza every Wednesday from 4:00 pm as part of the venue’s Pizza & Pinot night, a run that started on October 21st.

Tradewinds Hotel

Tradewinds in East Fremantle calls its night Thursday Oysters by the River. That Oyster Lounge sets up in the courtyard every Thursday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Fallow

That Oyster Lounge is also taking Friday afternoons at Fallow in Northbridge, shucking from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, starting this Friday.

Servo Leederville

Servo’s oyster afternoon on November 22nd is the most involved of the lot. Hosts Tom and Jerry, two Perth oyster enthusiasts (not the cat and mouse, the venue notes), run three hours of shucking and tasting from 3:00 pm. Each guest gets a dozen and a half Leeuwin Coast oysters and a shared, Mexican-leaning set menu that runs from potato taquitos with Oaxaca and hot honey to a dulce de leche ice cream sandwich, and you may get to shuck a few yourself.

Boston Brewing Co

Shucks & Nibs is at Boston Brewing Co’s Victoria Park venue on selected Thursdays in November, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Boston brews its beer in Denmark, just along the south coast from Albany, so this one is a Great Southern pairing.

The Rechabite

Shucks & Nibs also has selected Fridays in November at The Rechabite in Northbridge, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Good Company

To close out November, Shucks & Nibs takes over at Good Company in Karrinyup on November 29th, shucking from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Away from the shucking sessions, the oysters are back on the menu at Pearla & Co, Gage Roads Freo, Si Paradiso, FOUND., and Indigo Oscar. If you’d rather shuck your own, Seafresh and select The Good Grocer stores have them in stock.

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Australia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.3% in the 12 months to September, up from 4.0% in August, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released this morning.

The figures show that Perth’s inflation rate is slightly higher still, at 4.5%.

Economists had forecast 4.2%. The higher result makes it much more likely the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will lift the cash rate at its board meeting on Melbourne Cup Day next week, which would be the fifth rise this year. Even before today’s figures dropped, markets were pricing in a roughly 60% chance of a rise.

Trimmed mean inflation, which strips out the biggest price swings and is the measure the RBA watches most closely, rose to 3.6%. Headline and underlying inflation have now both sat above the RBA’s 2% to 3% target band for 14 months straight.

Here’s what’s driving it, and what comes next.

What’s pushing prices up

Housing was the biggest contributor, up 5.2% over the year. New home prices rose 4.7% as builders passed on higher labour and materials costs, and rents climbed 3.6%. Electricity jumped 12.8%, which the ABS largely attributed to the end of the Commonwealth’s electricity rebates.

Transport was next, up 8.7% nationally and 10.4% in Perth. Fuel prices are 23.6% higher than they were a year ago and rose 9.4% in September alone, driven by world oil prices as the Middle East conflict drags on. 

The figure that matters most for the RBA is non-tradable inflation, which covers prices set by what’s happening inside Australia rather than global markets. That number is 4.5%.

Government spending is part of the problem

Federal government spending made up 26.9% of GDP in 2025-26. Outside the pandemic years, that’s the highest level in almost 40 years.

That spending is entering an economy already struggling to keep up with demand, and the people responsible for managing it have now said so on the record. At a Senate Estimates hearing this morning, RBA Governor Michele Bullock said inflation was being driven by pressure at home and abroad.

“The increase in inflation reflects both consistent capacity pressures in the Australian economy and global cost pressures associated with the conflict in the Middle East,” she said.

“Because of both these factors, inflation is likely to remain elevated for some time.”

Asked whether government spending was contributing, she said: “Demand is made up of demand from government and the private sector so I’ve said this a number of times, yes, to the extent that it is contributing to aggregate demand and aggregate demand is above supply, then it’s contributing to that.”

At the same hearing, Treasury Secretary Jenny Wilkinson said: “No one’s denying that government spending contributes, is part of demand in the economy.” She also pointed out the 2025-26 Budget deficit came in at $22.3 billion, $6 billion smaller than the May forecast.

Government decisions also show up directly in the figures. The two items that jumped most this year, electricity and fuel, rose further once government relief ended.

How Australia compares

Inflation has picked up across the developed world as oil prices have climbed. In September, it reached 3.7% in the US, 3.5% in the UK, 3.8% in the eurozone, 3.7% in New Zealand, and 3.1% in Canada.

Australia’s headline rate is higher than all of them. The bigger gap is in underlying inflation, which takes out volatile items like energy. That’s 2.6% in the US and 2.5% in the eurozone, against Australia’s 3.6% trimmed mean. Oil prices are hurting everyone, but Australia has more of its own inflation on top.

The RBA’s blunt instrument

The cash rate sits at 4.60% after the RBA raised it in late September. That was the fourth rise of 2026, taking it to its highest level since 2011. A rise next week would take it to 4.85%, the highest in about 18 years.

Interest rates are a blunt tool. The RBA can’t control government spending, oil prices, or what private companies like builders charge. Its only lever is the cost of borrowing, which squeezes households and businesses with loans until they spend less. RBA Chief Economist Sarah Hunter acknowledged at the weekend that government spending is adding to demand, and said the RBA has no influence over fiscal policy and has to factor it in when setting rates.

The more demand that comes from government, the harder the RBA has to squeeze everyone else, and in Perth that means mortgage holders who’ve already had four rate rises this year.

Before today’s figures, ANZ and Westpac were both forecasting a rise next week, while CBA and NAB expected the RBA to hold.

The RBA will announce its decision at 11:30 am on November 3rd, alongside updated forecasts for inflation and the economy.

What it means for Perth mortgage holders Credit: Shutterstock

Perth’s median dwelling value is $975,022, according to Cotality. On a $750,000 loan at the average advertised variable rate of 6.63%, repayments are around $4,805 a month. If the RBA raises rates next week and banks pass it on in full, that adds about $125.00 a month.

Add in the four rises already this year, and that same borrower pays about $610.00 more a month than in January. That’s more than $7,300 a year.

All of this comes on top of higher costs everywhere else. Transport costs in Perth are up 10.4% over the year, mostly because of fuel, and electricity is up 12.8% nationally since the federal rebates ended.

Rate rises are now showing up in property values, too. Perth dwelling values fell 4.7% over the September quarter, although they’re still 10.1% higher than a year ago.

What it means for renters

Renters don’t pay the cash rate directly, but they still feel it. Many landlords hold variable-rate investment loans, and when repayments rise in a tight market, it’s easier to pass the cost on at lease renewal.

Perth’s median house rent is a record $750.00 a week, with units at $700.00, according to REIWA. The vacancy rate sits at 1.7%, well below the 2.5% to 3.5% range REIWA considers a balanced market. Median house rents have held at that level since May.

Renters are also paying the same higher prices for fuel, power, and groceries as everyone else, without any equity to fall back on.

What it means for small business and hospitality Credit: Shutterstock

Small businesses get hit twice by rising rates. Their loans cost more, and customers with higher mortgage repayments cut discretionary spending first. Hospitality is usually hit first, as it prompts consumers to eat out less often.

One in eight cafés, restaurants, and takeaway businesses across Australia closed in the 12 months to July, according to CreditorWatch. That’s a closure rate of 12.03%, almost double the 6.69% average across all industries. More than 10% of businesses still trading were 60 or more days behind on supplier payments, the highest arrears rate in any part of the economy.

Today’s figures show the other side of that squeeze. Prices for meals out and takeaway rose 3.9% over the year, which the ABS put down to higher operating, ingredient, and other input costs. Operators are paying more for produce, wages, and power, and passing it on to customers who have less to spend.

In WA, 323 small businesses became insolvent between June and September, around 19 a week, according to ASIC data released by the federal Opposition. Accommodation and food services businesses account for 473 WA insolvencies since June 2022, second only to construction.

Perth has already lost some favourites. CBD bar and restaurant Lalla Rookh announced this month it will close on December 23rd after 14 years. “Hospitality has been doing it incredibly tough for a few years now,” the venue said, pointing to working from home gutting the lunch trade, cost-of-living pressure on spending, and rising wages, super, produce, and utility costs.

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Richmond and Essendon will play Dreamtime at Optus Stadium during NAIDOC Week in 2027 and 2028, with the first match, Dreamtime at Maali, on Sunday, July 4th next year in Round 16. The Perth game is an additional fixture, as Dreamtime at the ‘G stays in Melbourne as the centrepiece of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

“Dreamtime is an incredible fixture on the AFL calendar, and bringing it to Optus Stadium is a fantastic opportunity for Western Australian fans,” said Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti.

“Hosting the match during NAIDOC Week provides a fitting stage to celebrate Aboriginal culture and recognise the significant contribution Aboriginal players and communities have made to Australian football.

“From young players at local clubs to lifelong supporters, this is a chance for people to come together, enjoy great football, and celebrate what makes our game so special.”

Maali is the Noongar word for black swan, and the match is named for the bird’s significance in Aboriginal culture. The Long Walk, one of Australian sport’s most significant celebrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and contribution, will bring participants together at Optus Stadium before the game, with community-led activities and experiences for locals and visitors.

The match will anchor a wider program across Perth, with additional AFL matches, fan and community events, and cultural celebrations.

Two days after the match, on July 6th, the Australian Football Hall of Fame will be held in WA for the first time.

“Dreamtime at Maali will headline an unmissable weekend of AFL action in Perth, giving footy fans another fantastic reason to visit our State in 2027,” said Premier Roger Cook.

“Together with the Australian Football Hall of Fame being held in Western Australia for the first time, Dreamtime will make Perth the centre of attention for AFL fans and showcase our State to audiences across the country.”

When it’s on and how to get tickets

The match falls on the second day of the WA school holidays, which run from July 3rd to 18th. The AFL will announce match time and ticketing details with the 2027 fixture on its website.

Perth has hosted Dreamtime once before. In 2021, the Round 12 Essendon v Richmond match was moved from the MCG to Optus Stadium, and 50,000 tickets sold within hours of going on general sale. The game sold out the next day, so be ready when tickets go on sale.

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Perth Zoo announced yesterday that Jamran, its 26-year-old male sun bear, has died from age-related health issues after nearly 20 years at the zoo.

“Jamran was a firm favourite in my family and among regular zoo-goers and while his loss will be felt, he leaves an incredible conservation legacy,” said Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn.

“While he was just one individual bear, the impact his story has had in aiding the rescue of countless other bears from the illegal wildlife trade is truly powerful.”

Jamran was poached from the wild in Cambodia as a cub and found tied to a pole outside a restaurant, where Perth Zoo says he was destined to be on the menu. Perth-founded conservation organisation Free the Bears rescued him, and he was flown to Perth in 2007 with Bopha, a female sun bear who had been kept as an illegal family pet.

The pair became the parents of Australia’s first sun bear cub, Maly, who was born at the zoo on March 26th 2008.

“Generations of visitors were able to connect with him and learn about the harsh realities of life in the wild and that connection can help inspire real change,” said Perth Zoo Executive Director David van Ooran.

“He was deeply loved by our staff, volunteers and visitors, and we’re incredibly proud of the life we were able to give him and the impact he leaves behind.”

Perth Zoo has a longstanding partnership with Free the Bears, and zoo visits and community support have contributed to bear conservation programs across Asia that have helped the organisation rescue more than 1,000 bears from the illegal wildlife trade.

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The State Government is moving to legalise plug-in solar panels and batteries, which would make WA the first Australian state or territory to allow them. Consultation on a safety standard for the systems opened today, and the change is aimed at renters and apartment residents who can’t put panels on a roof.

“For too long, the benefits of cheap solar have been out of reach for anyone who doesn’t own their roof. That isn’t fair, and the Cook Labor Government is doing something about it,” said Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.

“I’m proud that our State is leading the nation on this issue – millions of European households already use these systems every day, and WA families should be able to do the same.”

A plug-in system is usually one or two solar panels that plug into a normal power point instead of being wired in by an electrician. Overseas, people often mount them on a balcony railing, a patio, or against a wall or fence, which is why they’re known as balcony solar. A plug-in battery generally holds up to about five kilowatt-hours, which the State Government says is enough to run a fridge, internet router, and standby appliances overnight.

The State Government says a north-facing system would save the average Perth household around $240.00 a year on its power bill, or around $500.00 a year with a battery.

“A plug-in system arrives in a box and goes into a standard power point. When you move house, you take it with you,” said Commerce Minister Dr Tony Buti.

“Western Australia will be the first state in the country to make this legal and we want to ensure that it’s done properly.

“Today, we’re kicking off a thorough consultation process to make sure that these systems are safe for Western Australian conditions, and we want to hear from industry, electrical safety experts and the community before it is finalised.”

The draft standard, modelled on Germany’s, would allow solar panel combinations of up to two kilowatts and inverters of up to 800 watts, and wouldn’t cap battery storage. Once it’s finalised, the goal is to let certified systems be installed by simply plugging them into an existing power point, though the State Government says you could still benefit from having a licensed electrician check your sockets and wiring. You’d then notify your network operator, Western Power across most of Perth, instead of going through the full application process used for rooftop solar. These systems are meant for using the power yourself, so there’s no rebate for anything exported to the grid.

For now, you can’t legally buy one and plug it in, and using an imported system remains illegal. Apartment residents will be subject to strata rules, since a balcony or courtyard may be common property or covered by by-laws about what can be attached to it. Renter access isn’t part of this consultation, but the State Government says it’s working across government on any needed changes.

How to have your say

You have until 5:00 pm on December 9th to have your say on the proposed pathway and draft standard through the Plug in to power up consultation.

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Follow our live coverage here.

Much has been made about how the local media landscape has reached a critical low point. But often what readers don’t see is the fight WA journalists undertake on behalf of the public to get you even basic information.

The products are extremely popular in Europe, where plug-in solar panels are sold from major outlets like Ikea.

Australians are headed to Bali to wake up fully tattooed after a single hospital session, but doctors warn the procedure carries extreme risks.

Perth Airport has released the latest concept designs for its new terminal. This building will bring the airport’s domestic and international flights into one central precinct and end the eight-kilometre trip between Terminals 1 and 2 on one side of the runways and Terminals 3 and 4 on the other.

At 159,000 square metres, the new terminal will have a floor area of around nine AFL ovals. That makes it nearly triple the size of Terminals 3 and 4, and 25% larger than Terminals 1 and 2 combined. It will add 22 new contact gates for wide- and narrow-body aircraft. Some of these will be swing gates that can switch between international and domestic operations.

The terminal is being built at Airport Central, next to the Airport Line station. Qantas passengers will no longer have to walk up to 20 minutes from the train or catch a shuttle bus to reach their flight, as they do now.

Credit: Perth Airport

Australian firm Woods Bagot designed the terminal. Its architectural concept, Big Sky/Deep Earth, draws on the relationship between the WA sky and the land of Whadjuk Noongar Country. The building is a big step up in looks, but Perth Airport said the design was driven mainly by functionality, capacity, and efficiency for passengers and airlines.

“A good airport moves passengers efficiently, but a great airport also gives them a sense of the destination they are in — this design delivers both outcomes,” said Perth Airport CEO Jason Waters.

Perth Airport handled a record 18.4 million passengers in FY26, including 5.55 million international travellers. It expects 30.8 million passengers a year by FY46, with international numbers more than doubling from FY25 levels to 11.4 million.

“A new world-class terminal precinct will deliver a major boost to Western Australia’s economy,” Premier Roger Cook said.

“This multi-billion-dollar investment further strengthens Perth’s position as Australia’s Western Gateway, an important role given that 95% of visitors to the State arrive by air.”

“My Government remains focused on growing aviation capacity and working closely with Perth Airport and airline partners to expand our tourism sector as part of our work to diversify the economy and create more local jobs for Western Australians.”

“Ultimately, the New Terminal will strengthen Perth’s position as Australia’s western gateway and generate new opportunities for the state,” Waters said.

What’s inside Credit: Perth Airport

Most new features aim to reduce time spent queuing. Check-in and bag drop will be automated, including for oversized items. The baggage system is being built to support services like on-demand baggage reclaim and courier pick-up and drop-off. Passengers will be called to the gate when it’s time to board, so they don’t have to wait in line. Domestic and international passengers will also go through a single shared security checkpoint.

The terminal will include around 10,000 square metres of new retail, dining, and hospitality space. The terminal will also have sensory rooms, multi-faith rooms, a playground, and parent rooms. A landscaped courtyard will sit in the middle of the building, with plenty of natural light and views out to the airfield and the Perth Hills.

Credit: Perth Airport

“While the New Terminal designs show one big new building, the design team has also considered the hundreds of small things that will add up to a better experience for everyone,” Waters said.

“We have aimed high when it comes to building sustainability into the design, as well as ensuring accessibility for people of all ages, ability and background.”

When it opens

The main works package for the terminal has gone out to tender. Early contractor involvement will follow, and the contract is due to be awarded in 2027.

When Qantas and Perth Airport signed their deal in May 2024 to build the terminal and a new parallel runway, the $3 billion project was scheduled to open in 2031. Qantas will move its domestic and international flights across once the terminal opens. At the launch, Waters told the media he wasn’t yet in a position to give a final view on cost or timing, but said he expected the project to stay on target.

He also said preliminary work should start within the next 12 months. Thousands of construction workers will be on site, and although the airport will stay open around the clock for the entire build, he warned passengers to expect delays.

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An acoustic engineer hired to assess the noise impacts of Gina Rinehart’s proposed Perth rooftop helipad has admitted relying on information from an “experienced helicopter pilot” supplied by the billionaire’s project team without independently verifying it.