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WA to brand itself as ‘the safest place on earth’ ahead of welcoming back tourists, students
Tourism experts warn the campaign may be a difficult sell, given WA’s tough stance on quarantine and tendency to make snap decisions on interstate borders.
Updated
Jay Weatherill
Former SA premier Jay Weatherill tests positive for COVID-19
Mr Weatherill met with the Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas during his time in South Australia.
Updated
Australia votes
Former Freo candidate to throw hat in ring after Porter announces exit from federal politics
Christian Porter will quit politics at the next federal election, and former Liberal candidate for the WA seat of Fremantle, Miquela Riley, is keen to have a tilt at Pearce.
Protesters rally at WA Parliament as state hits first vaccine deadline
From December 1, workers several sectors need to have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
‘Fundamental flaws’: Former Rio boss takes aim at WA Aboriginal site laws
Former industry heavyweight Sam Walsh has joined a group of eminent Australians calling for the WA government to withdraw its Aboriginal cultural heritage bill.
Teen to plead guilty over Perth CBD attack that left soccer prodigy fighting for life
The 15-year-old boy accused of attacking soccer prodigy Danny Hodgson has indicated he will plead guilty.
Contents of WA MP’s laptop that could ‘ruin careers’ to be with CCC by end of the week
An inquiry into the electoral allowances of politicians will be able to resume with the end of a two-year legal and political fight that fractured the Labor government.
Man killed after residential workplace accident in Perth’s south
A man has died after a workplace accident in the southern Perth suburb of Medina after he was trapped by a bobcat on a residential block.
Cashed-up Liontown keen to capitalise on lithium craze
Tim Goyder’s Liontown Resources, with $450 million raised to develop its Kathleen Valley lithium mine in WA, must now deal with an ultra-competitive market for engineering contractors and labour.
‘I’ll throw you overboard’: Navy officer threatened bullied recruit, hearings told
Teri Bailey enlisted aged 18 and killed herself on her 25th birthday after relentless bullying.
Coal use to peak in 2026 as renewables surge past forecasts
A new international report reveals an optimistic forecast for clean energy, but it poses a fresh challenge to a Labor party that is yet to reveal its climate policy.
Analysis
China relations
Australia caught in an election trap as Beijing and Washington do business
The US and Australia have made much of their united front on China’s economic coercion, but the truth is American exporters have been eating Australia’s lunch.
‘My goal was justice’: Author Alice Sebold apologises to man she misidentified as rapist
The Lovely Bones author has told the man exonerated of her rape that she is struggling with the role she unwittingly played in sending him to jail for 16 years.
The Australian trip that bolstered McConaughey to reject deals worth millions
![“[Being outdoors] gives our minds and our spirits room to let one memory catch up,” says Matthew McConaughey, pictured with the tent he’s co-designed with Melbourne-based camping company Homecamp.](http://web.archive.org./web/20211201220312im_/https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.27256038647342995%2C$multiply_0.4233%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_325%2C$y_38/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/f3c23a06c90d1b7148659c93e8108d1b7b9031f0)
The Oscar-winning actor once gambled his Hollywood career for better roles. Australia – and the outdoors – were the keys to enduring two years out of work.
Director breaks down the false glamour of casinos in new film
Paul Shrader’s The Card Counter follows the bleak existence of a professional card player
Western Australia
Updated
Bushfires
Wanneroo fire warning downgraded as blaze brought under control
Bushfire advice is still in place for people in an area south of Marangaroo Road and north of Beach Road in the eastern part of Koondoola and western part of Ballajura.
No jab, no job date arrives for FIFO, police but uncertainty remains over how many have refused jab
WA government departments and businesses have been scrambling to determine how many workers still refuse to get the vaccine as a new mandate came into force overnight.
Woodside to ‘vigorously defend’ second court challenge to $16b Scarborough project
The Conservation Council of WA has launched a second legal action against the Scarborough to Pluto LNG project adding to uncertainty about its construction a week after Woodside approved the $16 billion investment.
WA Police quietly lower fitness test for recruits
The latest assessment requires candidates to be able to do one sit-up, 10 push-ups, carry a 35 kilogram bag 20 metres, grip 30 kilograms in each hand, complete an agility test, and record a beep test score of at least 6.1 for women, and 7.1 for men.
Police team behind Cleo rescue honoured at state reception in Perth
Cleo’s parents Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon made the trip south for the state reception at Government House, where WA Premier Mark McGowan and Governor Kim Beazley hosted the police team.
Politics
Drinking not the cause of bad behaviour in Parliament, former staffers say
Some former parliamentary staffers say issues with alcohol in Parliament House aren’t much different to the corporate world, because it depends on the MP or the company.
Business
Exclusive
Franchising
Troubled bubble tea chain Sharetea Australia settled underpayment claims
Sharetea Australia is under investigation by the national wages watchdog and facing deep dissent from its own franchisees.
World
‘France is Josephine’: Artist honoured at tomb of heroes
US-born Josephine Baker was not only praised for her career, but also for her role in the French Resistance and her activism.
Opinion
A defamation policy for Mum and Dad voters? Don’t believe the hype
Michaela Whitbourn
Legal Affairs and Investigations reporter
The economic view ahead is just as difficult as the rearview mirror
Shane Wright
Senior economics correspondent
Scott Morrison embraces culture wars with religious bill
Julie Szego
Author and freelance journalist
Explore
Property bydomain
'Bugging out': The new property investment trend for 2022
There’s now a crossover between rental and owner-occupied property as investors look for retreats and ‘workstations’.
'The boom isn't over': Housing market still growing, just not by as much
The latest figures reveal Australian housing values edged upwards in November, but at their slowest rate since January.
Lifestyle
Virgil Abloh shocked the system – fashion was only part of it
His designs may not always have been trailblazing, yet his disruptions of a static industry altered fashion for good.
![“[Being outdoors] gives our minds and our spirits room to let one memory catch up,” says Matthew McConaughey, pictured with the tent he’s co-designed with Melbourne-based camping company Homecamp.](http://web.archive.org./web/20211201220312im_/https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.27256038647342995%2C$multiply_0.7063%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_325%2C$y_38/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/f3c23a06c90d1b7148659c93e8108d1b7b9031f0)
Culture
★★★
Review
It’s big, loud and full of action, but Dune is a desert of mediocrity
A book that sold 20 million copies because of ideas and vision has become a movie with neither, and the incredible cast has little to do except pose.
Sport
MCG’s ‘undeniable’ commercial case for Perth’s Ashes Test
Melbourne has an “undeniable” case to host a fifth Ashes Test should calculations come down to money, Victoria’s Sports Minister says.
Fears of lack of leadership and lost generation for Matildas
Some A-League Women players believe the Matildas need leaders, not just youth, in defence while a generation of players aren’t being given opportunities.
‘A terrible story’: Stosur says tennis hasn’t forgotten about Peng Shuai
Sam Stosur, back on court preparing for what could be her last Australian Open, expressed concern about Chinese star Peng Shuai, who is still cut off from the tennis world.
Exclusive
Australian soccer
‘Arnie, I can’t breathe’: How COVID made Graham Arnold a better coach
The Socceroos mentor has come in for heavy criticism lately, mostly from former teammate Mark Bosnich. In this exclusive interview, he opens up like never before.
Collingwood stalwart Chiocci makes new AFLW campaign about succession planning
AFLW Collingwood skipper Steph Chiocci has said it was a matter of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” when it came to her and Brianna Davey continuing their co-captaincy.
Wing healed, Richardson ready to take off for Ashes
After a string of performances that showed he was a cut above his state peers, the West Australian speedster is ready to pounce on England should selectors pull the horses-for-courses rein for the first Test.
Ugle-Hagan on the Bulldogs path I followed: Weightman
Cody Weightman says after being picked high in the draft and being pumped up for months, he expected to make an immediate impact. He knows now the road is different for everyone.
Have Your Say
Elder a trailblazer who overcame racism and death threats to change the world
Lee Elder, who died on Sunday aged 87, was the man who first forged the black path down the first fairway of the exclusive clubs and elite tournaments against heavy resistance.
