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Opinion
WA budget
WA refuses to admit it has a spending problem
Most of WA’s increased spend is demand-driven thanks to roaring population growth placing pressure on housing, education and health budgets.
Hamish Hastie
Reporter
Your five-minute guide to WA’s budget winners and losers
Treasurer Rita Saffioti has used her first-ever budget to address the key issues facing the state. So, how did you fare?
Opinion
Domestic violence
Why you won’t find this woman’s name on the list of Australian victims of domestic violence murders
Her partner pleaded guilty to doing “an act as a result of which the life, health or safety” of his victim “was likely to be endangered”.
Gary Adshead
Journalist
Dullsville? Hardly: Perth people share the city they know
Think Perth is quiet? You just need to know where to go. Here are some Perth punters who can definitely give you some inspiration for what to do this weekend.
Rape charges against Perth bikie Troy Mercanti dropped
A woman who claimed Troy Mercanti assaulted and raped her after a night out in Northbridge has withdrawn her accusations, forcing the police to drop the charges.
Review
Perth
Brilliant prawn noodles, supple chicken rice, and deep-fried milk at Hey Hawker
Brilliant prawn noodles, supple chicken rice, an intriguing deep-fried milk dessert masquerading as an appetizer.
Metronet costs balloon by $700 million as state pays to get people moving
Stage one of the Labor government’s flagship Metronet project climbed $2 billion in 2023 alone, taking the total cost of the network to around $11.5 billion.
Updated
WA budget
WA budget gets more from ore as Saffioti promises to diversify
“A big challenge for us is to make sure we continue to diversify our economy to ensure we have a strong revenue base in the future,” Treasurer Rita Saffioti said.
Updated
WA budget
Stamp duty relief as Cook, Saffioti tackle housing in WA budget
Stamp duty relief was a key announcement in Premier Roger Cook and Treasurer Rita Saffioti’s first budget, which Cook said had something for everybody.
Musk widens legal fight with Australia as Labor pushes social media probe
Elon Musk’s company has launched a case in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to test the merits of the eSafety Commissioner’s order to remove church stabbing videos.
The one major difference between Pink’s and Taylor Swift’s Australian tours
The Australian music industry has united in a campaign to help boost the struggling live scene.
Can a marriage work without sex?
Yes, say counsellors and a surprising number of happy couples.
Opinion
Gadgets
Apple’s tone-deaf iPad ad triggers darkest AI fears
Apple has made its worst marketing faux pas since it forced everyone to listen to U2.
Dave Lee
Opinion
Federal budget
If Chalmers gets the budget wrong, interest rate rises may kill his government
For Treasurer Jim Chalmers, this budget is existential. Bad decisions could increase unemployment or provoke more interest rate rises. Both would be political nails in the government’s coffin.
Shane Wright
Senior economics correspondent
Exclusive
Federal budget
Australia, let’s have more babies, says Jim Chalmers
Australians are having fewer children with the fertility rate tumbling. The treasurer says people should think about having more kids.
Opinion
GDP
The economy’s just the means to an end. So, are we getting our money’s worth?
Our materialism puts us on a “hedonic treadmill”. We think buying a bit more stuff will make us happier and, at first, it does. But pretty soon the thrill wears off.
Ross Gittins
Economics Editor
Western Australia
AFR to cut print in WA after Seven’s ‘abuse of power’
The Australian Financial Review will no longer have a physical edition in Perth after Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media doubled the cost of printing the newspaper.
Severe storm warning for Perth
Get your umbrellas out; the Bureau of Meteorology says Perth will be battered by thunderstorms on Friday.
Slain bikie boss’ widow sues WA government, hitman after witnessing assassination
Amanda Martin and her daughter filed a lawsuit in the Perth District Court for “damages by way of mental harm suffered” from witnessing Nick Martin be shot by a sniper.
The Perth suburbs with the most electric vehicles
WAtoday can reveal the areas with the biggest EV purchasing power, even as the state government moves to level the playing field.
Updated
Property market
‘Out of ideas’ WA government lashed for ‘leaning on lobby groups’
Greens MLC Brad Pettitt said questions should be asked about how much influence these key groups had.
Politics
Labor’s gas boost opens new front in crossbench election battle
Teal independents, the Greens and even Labor MPs are pushing back against the government’s gas plan as a Morrison-era rerun.
Business
Opinion
Big four
CBA lowers the curtain on a profit season banks would rather forget
This season was not one that banks will be crowing about – all experienced a fall in profits and the themes were remarkably similar.
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
World
‘Beyond comprehension’: Finland is planning 100,000 years into the future
On a tiny island off Finland’s coast, robot tractors work deep underground to move the nation’s nuclear waste. Soon, in a world first, the gates of Onkalo will open.
Opinion
TikTok makes a stand against forced sale or ban in the US
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
Explore
Property
Eight of our favourite luxury homes for sale right now
From a private sandy beach to equestrian facilities for horse lovers and a 15-metre pool, we’ve rounded up our pick of the bunch.
Gifts from $50k to $1m the norm: How home deposits soared to record levels
Average workers are priced out, but many property buyers who are left in the market now have extraordinary wealth – often from family.
Good Food
Lifestyle
First look: A glitzy new steakhouse arrives on James Street
Decked out in black with white marble counters and sheer curtains, it’s serving hefty wagyu tomahawks, oysters and lobster from the tank, and a 300-bottle wine list.
Culture
Opinion
Gadgets
Apple’s tone-deaf iPad ad triggers our darkest AI fears
Apple has made its worst marketing faux pas since it forced everyone to listen to U2.
Dave Lee
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
AFL Briefing
AFL 2024
Ben Cousins responds to hall of fame snub
Carlton make four changes ahead of a huge MCG clash; Mum’s the word as the Pies prepare for Mother’s Day at Marvel; and Ben Cousins speaks out on the hall of fame.
Analysis
AFL 2024
Courage, a near miss and a shoulder hanging by a thread: The 20-second passage of play that shook the MCG
We break down the key moments from a play Blues fans will never forget the last time their side took on the Demons at the mighty MCG.
My pleas for Amiss protection not a whinge, Longmuir insists
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says the key forward’s safety is being compromised by ongoing rough treatment.
In just 19 balls, Fraser-McGurk heaps pressure on Australian selectors
He wasn’t deemed good enough for Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, but Jake Fraser-McGurk’s responded in the best possible way with another IPL batting blitz.
Opinion
AFL 2024
Why personalities like Sam Draper should be celebrated, not gagged
Seeing Sam Draper’s reaction to the crucial decision late in the Bombers’ last-minute win against Adelaide was revealing and hilarious – unless you barracked for the Crows.
Mathew Stokes
AFL columnist
Money Talks
AFL 2024
Danger is staying, but here’s why some of the Cats’ biggest names aren’t their highest priorities
Geelong started the season with a long list of free agents to sign, but it won’t change the wait and see approach that has served them well when it comes to their veterans.
‘Playing for their future’: Heat on Beveridge, Bulldogs ahead of Tigers clash
Western Bulldogs great Doug Hawkins is “a Bevo man” and has backed the coach to turn the Bulldogs’ season around. But he fears what could happen if his old club is beaten by Richmond on Saturday.
Have Your Say
Why this is the most important three weeks of Nicho Hynes’ career
Over the next month, the Sharks have a golden chance to shake their tag as flat-track bullies – and their star man can prove he belongs at Origin level.
Andrew Johns
League columnist
