Andrew O'Connor has been a journalist for 30 years, most of that time with ABC News and current affairs as reporter and producer.
He currently works as a reporter and video journalist covering stories for ABC News on television, radio and online.
Posted
| UpdatedThe WA Government will decide by next month whether to proceed with its plan to move the Department of Housing to Fremantle.
Topics: government-and-politics, housing, wa
Posted
A few hundred exceedingly rich and discerning collectors are the target market for a new diamond-encrusted, one kilogram gold coin struck by the Perth Mint.
Topics: offbeat, gold, perth-6000
Posted
| UpdatedWest Australian Premier Colin Barnett will meet racing officials again in the coming weeks as the State Government tries to secure a broad industry agreement to sell the TAB.
Topics: privatisation-and-deregulation, industry, perth-6000
Posted
| UpdatedAs ratings agency S&P Global warns the Federal Government the nation's triple-A credit rating is at risk, the future of WA's already-downgraded credit rating remains unclear.
Topics: government-and-politics, business-economics-and-finance, states-and-territories, wa
Posted
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett expresses confidence in the security of his leadership just days before he heads off on a week's leave.
Topics: state-parliament, government-and-politics, wa
Posted
| UpdatedThe West Australian Government softens its stance on the planned privatisation of Western Power to head off what Premier Colin Barnett predicts will be a massive scare campaign in next year's state election.
Topics: privatisation-and-deregulation, government-and-politics, wa
Posted
| UpdatedSenior WA Liberal Cabinet ministers back Colin Barnett's leadership in the wake of the knife-edge federal election result, arguing the swing in WA shows no evidence of a backlash against the Premier.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-elections, elections, federal---state-issues, political-parties, wa
Posted
| UpdatedThe deep unpopularity of the Barnett Government fails to translate into a swag of additional federal seats for Labor in WA following the election.
Topics: federal-election, political-parties, federal-elections, elections, government-and-politics, wa
Posted
| UpdatedLabor celebrates winning the new West Australian seat of Burt as Liberal-held Cowan remains on a knife edge, with Luke Simpkins marginally behind Anne Aly in the counting.
Topics: federal-election, political-parties, wa
Posted
| UpdatedLabor claims victory in Western Australia's new electorate of Burt with Matt Keogh securing the seat just months after losing the Canning by-election.
Topics: federal-elections, political-parties, wa
Posted
Former Labor planning minister Alannah MacTiernan backs WA Labor's opposition to an extension of the industrial development buffer at Alcoa's residue storage area near Mandogalup.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, government-and-politics, kwinana-town-centre-6167
Posted
| UpdatedLabor appears likely to win one additional seat in Western Australia, despite a predicted statewide swing of up to 5 per cent away from the Turnbull Government.
Topics: federal-elections, political-parties, wa
Posted
| UpdatedWA Labor leader Mark McGowan urges voters to use the federal poll to punish the Barnett Government for its mismanagement of the state's finances.
Topics: federal-election, morley-6062
Posted
Former planning minister John Day questions WA Labor's claim of a long-standing record of opposing any extension of the industrial development buffer around Alcoa's tailing ponds at Mandogalup.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, government-and-politics, mandogalup-6167
Posted
| UpdatedSenior WA Liberals are openly shunning property developer Nigel Satterley in the wake of the acrimonious dispute over the industrial buffer extension at Mandogalup.
Topics: political-parties, government-and-politics, urban-development-and-planning, wa
Posted
| UpdatedWA Labor produces letters to rebut claims of a swift policy change on the controversial extension of an industrial buffer at Mandogalup, showing it raised the issue five years ago.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, activism-and-lobbying, political-parties, perth-6000
Posted
WA Premier Colin Barnett dismisses suggestions he threatened to take his own Liberal MPs to the Corruption and Crime Commission if they accepted donations from property developer Nigel Satterley.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, political-parties, activism-and-lobbying, wa
Posted
A dangerous sex offender released into the community has been charged with raping a woman, with the State Opposition arguing existing legislation is not adequately protecting the community.
Topics: state-parliament, sexual-offences, wa
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Information revealed in State Parliament contradicts West Australian Premier Colin Barnett's assertion that the Government has no plans to introduce new gaming machines into TAB outlets.
Topics: government-and-politics, gambling, community-and-society, wa, burswood-6100
Posted
Colin Barnett rules out allowing the TAB to expand its gambling services to include virtual horse racing and Keno as part of the sale of the government-owned betting agency.
Topics: gambling, privatisation-and-deregulation, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, wa
Posted
Residents of Yarloop were not warned of a catastrophic fire until it was upon the town thanks to a series of missteps and omissions, Andrew O'Connor writes.
Topics: bushfire, yarloop-6218, preston-beach-6215, harvey-6220
Posted
The Yarloop fire inquiry contradicts suggestions from emergency management authorities that all that could have been done, was done, Andrew O'Connor writes.
Topics: emergency-incidents, fires, yarloop-6218
Posted
| UpdatedYarloop residents were not adequately warned of an approaching bushfire earlier this year and calls for help went unanswered for hours, an investigation finds.
Topics: bushfire, emergency-planning, emergency-incidents, fires, disasters-and-accidents, waroona-6215, yarloop-6218, harvey-6220
Posted
| UpdatedAn independent report into a bushfire in Western Australia that killed two people and devastated the town of Yarloop finds the state's bushfire management system is failing its citizens.
Topics: fires, government-and-politics, yarloop-6218
Posted
The Barnett Government is giving no indication if it will commit to major new transport projects at the next state election.
Topics: transport, rail-transport, perth-6000