Home
Search
thewest.com.au‌‌

  1. HolidaysPremiumThings to do with the kids in Karratha over the long break

  2. BusinessPremiumKarratha Airport applies for international status

  3. WA News PremiumAnimal neglect and abandonment rising across the Pilbara

  4. Emissions reductions PremiumNew emissions reducing cattle feed to be produced in Pilbara

  5. state politics CommentsPremiumCook’s ‘inconvenient’ ban sparks fishing industry fury

Town of Port Hedland commission chair Jessica Shaw.

Council PremiumToPH commissioner cuts off former councillor’s mic

Former Port Hedland councillor Adrian McRae has had his microphone cut off after Town of Port Hedland commissioner Jessica Shaw ruled his comments out of order at the November ordinary council meeting. 

Cain Andrews

Julie Freeman

Road funding PremiumJulie Freeman criticises Government over road repair funding

Shadow road safety minister Julie Freeman has accused the State Government of neglecting the regions by prioritising a $60 million NRL team deal over repairing damaged roads in the Pilbara. 

Cain Andrews

Karratha City Plaza.

Crime PremiumKarratha City Plaza manager welcomes two-year shop ban laws

The manager of Karratha’s main shopping centre has welcomed new legislation which could have offenders who assault or threaten retail workers banned from entering stores for up to two years. 

Cain Andrews and Charlton Hart

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti tests out the new 100% electric Transperth buses at the Malaga bus on Sunday.

Finally CommentsDate set for long-awaited change to public bus services

Public transport users in Karratha and Port Hedland will be able to tag on with credit and debit cards for the first time later this month as the payment method becomes available in Perth from December 8. 

Oliver Lane

Pilbara equestrian influencer Kate Redmond with the $5000 Golden Horseshoe.

Christmas cash PremiumKarratha Golden Horseshoe Hunt worth $5000

Horsey People is launching its first-ever Golden Horseshoe Hunt in Karratha with the lucky hunter who finds it set to go home with $5000 cash in time for Christmas.

Cain Andrews

West Pilbara Junior Football League WPJFL

WA News PremiumPilbara loves Australian rules football

Australian rules football continues to go from strength to strength in the Pilbara

Phoebe Solon

Karratha Senior High School Stars Foundation students and staff watching a flatback turtle lay on Delambre Island.

Pilbara News Year in Review January to June PremiumPremiumPilbara News Year in Review January to June

Pilbara News Year in Review January to June

West Pilbara teams after senior country week.

Pilbara News Sports Year in Review PremiumPremiumPilbara News Sports Year in Review

Pilbara News Sports Year in Review

Students at Marble Bar Primary School were some of the first in the Pilbara to take part in AusBike sessions.

WA News PremiumPremiumAusBike program comes to Marble Bar Primary School

Students at Marble Bar Primary School were some of the first in the Pilbara to take part in AusBike sessions

Australian Dollars money bundle

WA news PremiumLarge community grants handed out

The council allows for $600,000 to fund the grant scheme each year, after the awarding of this round’s projects, and accounting for money already promised, $302,885 is still up for grabs.

Laura Newell

A bricklayer hard at doing what he knows best.

WA news PremiumNew Year, new housing funding for the Pilbara

The Pilbara will get a slice of the State’s housing cash action following the mid-year Budget review.

Laura Newell

Subscriber Exclusive

Mother Nadine McCarthy feels she will never enter the market, with her rent costing more than her friend’s mortgage repayments.

PerthCommentsPremiumExperts’ grim prediction for Perth property prices in 2026

First-homebuyers’ hopes of achieving the Great Australian Dream of property ownership are slipping further into the quagmire.

Joe Spagnolo and Bethany Hiatt

WA Police have allocated more than $23 million to lease a luxurious light business jet, rather than buying one for a cheaper price.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
WA PoliceCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
WA Police defends sky-high private jet lease

Eyebrows have been raised after WA Police allocated more than $23 million to lease a luxurious light business jet, rather than buying one for a cheaper price.

Adrian Rauso

Det. Sen. Srt Andy Baker with seized drugs and a firearm.

CrimePremiumPolice in major drug bust operation across Perth

WA Police have seized 45kg of cocaine and 7kg of methamphetamine — with a combined street value of more than $15 million — and more than $385,000 in cash in several major drug busts across the city. 

Jessica Evensen

He will front court again on February 6 for a trial allocation date. 

CourtsPremiumIdentity of young police officer accused of assault revealed

The 23-year-old allegedly assaulted a woman during an arrest in Perth’s western suburbs.

Jessica Evensen

Promotional

In Case You Missed It

Shane Warne, Wayne Carey and now Lachie Neale were all at the top of their careers when scandals unfolded.

AFLVideoCommentsPremiumInside the price of shame: AFL star facing hit to earnings

In the space of four months Lachie Neale has gone from dual-premiership captain and Brownlow medallist to a man whose reputation and integrity is in question and the impact could be felt well beyond the field.

Fraser Williams and Oliver Lane

Ben Harvey looks back on the biggest stories of 2025.

opinion
opinion
Ben HarveyVideoCommentsPremium
opinion
The underworld stories that made 2025 a crime journo’s dream

It turns out I did indeed make it all the way through 2025 without being sacked, shot or sued. That is quite an accomplishment when you look back on some of the issues I covered over the past 12 months.

Ben Harvey

Ben Harvey

Morning traffic is seen in Helsinki, Finland, during heavy snowfall.

TrafficCommentsPremiumCommentsPremiumThe Finnish city proving how dire WA’s road toll really is

Going 365 days without a single road fatality is a milestone Western Australia can only dream of achieving, but for Helsinki it’s an astonishing reality. Here’s how they did it.

Luke Joseph Grguric has appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court. PIctured is Grguric as he leaves court Justin Benson-Cooper

Court & Justice PremiumPremiumTeen accused of creating firework bushfire stomped on flames

A Kalamunda teenager has walked free from court on bail, after being accused of lighting a firecracker that sparked a New Year fire emergency in the Perth Hills. 

AFLW player Halle Cameron-Phillips’ death in a Busselton car crash on December 28 has not yet been included in the official toll.

WA NewsCommentsPremiumCommentsPremiumREVEALED: Shocking WA road toll for 2025

The death toll on WA roads was at odds with the national trend seen across the country in 2025.

Regional News

About 4.30pm on Friday police confirmed the ongoing search for a missing 32-year-old had been reduced.

updated
updated
Disaster and EmergencyComments
updated
Police scale back search for missing snorkeler

The search for a missing snorkeler off Ledge Point has been scaled back following an extensive operation which began on Thursday.

Charlton Hart, Tahnee Graham and Troy de Ruyter

The intersection where a man tragically passed away.

Tragic deathPremiumE-scooter contract up for renewal amid rider’s death

The future of rented e-scooters in Geraldton is in limbo as the council prepares to review the private operator’s contract in the wake of the Christmas Eve death of a 37-year-old man.

Sally Q Davies

Some of the stolen Christmas decorations at Geraldton Police Station.

Crime & CourtsPremiumMen, 18 and 22, accused of stealing Christmas decorations

Two young  men have been charged with stealing Christmas decorations from several homes in the Bluff Point area on Christmas Day.

Kate Campbell

A fire has seriously damaged this Rangeway home.

FirePremiumPremiumHouse fire destroys home of two single mums

A fire at a residential property in Rangeway has left two single mums and their children without accommodation in the new year.

40 metres of matting has been installed at Gracetown Beach as part of a new short term trial.

Beach accessBeach matting has been installed on a South West beach

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River has launched a new short-term trial aimed at improving beach accessibility. 

Some of the stories that dominated local headlines in the final three months of 2025.

Year in ReviewEnd-of-year stories had us smiling, sad and scared

The local headlines that dominated the news in Geraldton in the final three months of 2025 certainly put an exclamation mark on the end of the year, for all manner of reasons.

News Flash

More Stories

The world’s oldest cryptocurrency was last trading at $US88,242, down about 6 per cent on the year, or about 30 per cent off its record high of around $US126,000 hit in early October.

CNBC newsCommentsBitcoin ends 2025 in the red but can it rebound in new year?

Bitcoin boomed earlier this year but its seemingly magical momentum didn’t last. In the last quarter, the token surrendered its gains, placing the flagship cryptocurrency on track to finish 2025 in the red.

Liz Napolitano

Here’s the No. 1 thing successful couples do to keep their relationship strong heading into the new year, according to Romanoff.

CNBC newsCommentsSuccessful couples do this kick off the new year

Successful couples use the holidays as an opportunity to strengthen their relationship by creating new traditions, says a New York–based psychologist.

Gili Malinsky

Agentic commerce generally refers to AI systems that act on behalf of users to discover products, compare deals and complete payments within the chatbot.

CNBC newsCommentsA world where AI agents book flights and shop for you

Payment giants like Visa and Mastercard plan AI-driven purchases inside chatbots as early as 2026.

Dylan Butts

Formula 1 cars and a circuit made with Lego are displayed at the 2025 Canadian International AutoShow at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Feb. 21, 2025.

CNBC newsCommentsWhy Lego is going all in on F1

In the nearly year since Lego and Formula 1 launched their partnership, the collaboration has bolstered fan engagement and the demographic reach for both brands

Sarah Whitten

WA News

The scene of a house fire on Stannard St in Bentley.

WA NewsArson squad investigate house fire after ‘explosion’

The arson squad is investigating a fire that destroyed a Bentley home following reports of an “explosion” on Sunday. 

Caleb Runciman

A driver has died in the Wheatbelt after a car veered off Great Southern Highway and struck a tree. 

WA NEWSPremiumDriver dies after car hits tree in the Wheatbelt

A driver has died in the Wheatbelt after a car veered off Great Southern Highway and struck a tree. 

Caleb Runciman

Minang Traditional Dance Group members Bryce Hardy and Tyrhys Hardy with Freeman of the City of Albany Alice Rule and Terry Eaton.

Albany 2026 Albany welcomes 2026 as WA’s first bicentenary

This year marks two centuries since Europeans began living among Australia’s traditional owners on the western third of the country.

Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

PoliceSerious crash in Perth’s east leaves elderly woman injured

Police have appealed to the public for information.

A Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said the home was fully alight by the time crews arrived on scene. 

Emergency ServicesCommentsCommentsOne person missing after explosion, flames engulf Perth home

A home in Perth’s south has been engulfed by fire and one person is unaccounted for following an explosion at the property on Sunday morning.

A fire erupted in Spencer Street, Bunbury at 3:40am on Sunday

WA NEWSPremiumIllicit vape wars escalate after another store firebombed

Neighbouring businesses have been damaged, and the owners devastated, after fire gutted a Bunbury convenience shop suspected of links to the illicit vape trade.

Jessica Page