Jacob Kagi is a multi-platform journalist based in the Perth newsroom who also covers State Parliament. He joined ABC News in 2012 after attending Curtin University. As an undergraduate Jacob wrote for the State Basketball League, AFL media and AAP. He is also a talented sportsman having played in the National Water Polo League.
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| UpdatedWA voters will face a bewildering choice of hundreds of candidates on their ballot papers on March 11 — here's some help as you're sorting through the micro parties.
Topics: elections, minor-parties, wa
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Both major parties are making no apologies for the WA election campaign turning negative in its final days, saying they need to get their message out.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, wa
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| UpdatedWA Liberals say candidate Lily Chen did the wrong thing by handing out free bottles of wine while doorknocking for next month's state election, but say she did so "in recognition of Chinese New Year".
Topics: elections, political-parties, liberals, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, mirrabooka-6061
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| UpdatedA re-elected Barnett Government would push to have Sunday penalty rates for some workers slashed, in exchange for a higher base rate on other days.
Topics: government-and-politics, tourism, hospitality, wa
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| UpdatedWestern Australia's struggling economy and high level of debt is likely to dominate tonight's leaders' debate, with Opposition Leader Mark McGowan considered the frontrunner.
Topics: elections, political-parties, wa
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| UpdatedOn his first visit to Western Australia during the state election campaign, Malcolm Turnbull says reforms to the GST distribution system are "a few years away" — and warns federal funding for Labor's Metronet rail system is also a long way off.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, states-and-territories, tax, perth-6000, wa
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| UpdatedLabor is pledging local jobs while the Liberal Party emphasises its political record after two terms in office, as the parties make their formal pitches for Western Australia's vote in the upcoming March election to the sounds of Daft Punk and ACDC.
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, elections, wa
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WA Premier Colin Barnett seeks to defend the Liberals' preference deal with One Nation by claiming Pauline Hanson's party holds less extreme views with "racial components" now than it did two decades ago.
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, elections, wa
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| UpdatedSerious doubts are raised about a key WA Labor strategy designed to drive down state debt, with the state's Chamber of Commerce and Industry labelling it inherently flawed and a cop-out.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, states-and-territories, budget, perth-6000, wa
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Drivers will be required to leave a gap of at least one metre when overtaking cyclists under rules to be trialled if WA Labor wins the March state election.
Topics: cycling, laws, elections, government-and-politics, perth-6000, wa
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| UpdatedElection promises by the major parties and another bleak budget update for WA Treasurer Mike Nahan feature on the campaign trail, with One Nation also gaining a surprise candidate.
Topics: elections, political-parties, ellenbrook-6069, perth-6000, collie-6225, wa
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| UpdatedWA's debt problem is worse than any other state in the nation, and with a state election just around the corner each of the major parties has its own plan to address the issue.
Topics: elections, business-economics-and-finance, budget, wa
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| UpdatedThe WA Government is handed a pre-election budget blow, with another increase in state debt and the return to surplus delayed yet again.
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| UpdatedBoth major parties appear to be seeking preference help from One Nation ahead of the March WA election, with Pauline Hanson's party claiming Labor reached out to them about a possible deal.
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, elections, wa
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| UpdatedWA Premier Colin Barnett is adamant he can rescue his Government from the brink of defeat to win a third term, amid polling showing Labor is on track for victory in the March election.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, states-and-territories, one-nation, alp, liberals, wa, perth-6000
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| UpdatedFederal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicates he expects to spend significant time in WA during the state election campaign, urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to also appear in the west.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, wa, perth-6000
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| UpdatedWest Australian Premier Colin Barnett hits out at the mining lobby's public campaign against Nationals leader Brendon Grylls and his controversial proposed iron ore tax.
Topics: states-and-territories, tax, mining-industry, elections, perth-6000, wa, karratha-6714
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| UpdatedWA Premier Colin Barnett urges voters to look past the state's financial woes and focus on his Government's record in key policy areas, as he makes his pitch to win a third term for the Liberal-National alliance.
Topics: elections, state-parliament, wa
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| UpdatedLabor and Liberal parties label controversial comments about single mothers by a One Nation candidate as "offensive and rude", but decline to rule out striking a preference deal with the party ahead of the state election.
Topics: elections, alp, one-nation, states-and-territories, perth-6000, karratha-6714, wa
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The WA Government is adamant it will not accept the Perth Children's Hospital back from the head contractor until ongoing lead contamination is resolved for good.
Topics: health, wa, perth-6000
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| UpdatedWA Labor insists it can fund its education infrastructure promises without privatising assets, after making its second commitment on Perth schools in as many days.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, education, wa
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Shadow treasurer Ben Wyatt concedes WA Labor does not have a silver bullet solution to the state's debt problem, amid accusations from Premier Colin Barnett that it has no plan to reduce borrowings.
Topics: elections, states-and-territories, state-parliament, perth-6000, wa
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Labor scraps long-held plans to attempt to prevent the growth of genetically modified crops in WA, admitting it is too late to stop their use.
Topics: genetically-modified-food, government-and-politics, science-and-technology, wa
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| UpdatedIf bookmakers are to be believed, West Australians will be waking up on March 12 with a new Labor Government to lead them for the next four years.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, perth-6000
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| UpdatedWA's Acting Premier says she will have to "brush up" on her figures after copping criticism for failing to correctly identify the state's unemployment rate, debt or deficit.
Topics: state-parliament, budget, unemployment, elections, wa