Western Australia’s Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in a mess
Heritage laws in Western Australia are in a legislative mess, with new rules to protect Indigenous culture axed just weeks after coming into operation. The saga has outraged Aboriginal groups, who say they have yet again been treated like second-class citizens. Just five weeks after the new laws hit the statute books, the WA premier, Roger Cook, admitted his government’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 was divisive, confusing and stressful for landowners.
They squeaked as they died: I tried to help those baby pilot whales – but nothing could be done
It was the little cries of the dying young ones that hit me hardest. The sound is hard to describe – like a high-pitched squeak, a forlorn whistle amid the noise of breaking waves. For many hours, the distressed baby pilot whales on Western Australia’s south coast made their cries. I am not sure I will forget the sound.
Scientists baffled by behaviour of pilot whales before WA mass stranding
Officials are baffled by the remarkable behaviour of a large pod of pilot whales that grouped together in a heart shape before stranding themselves on a remote Western Australian beach. Drone footage captured the moment a pod of almost 100 long-finned pilot whales moved tightly together before stranding themselves at Cheynes beach about 60km east of Albany on Tuesday evening.
AUS – Wave goodbye: the battle to protect Australia’s surf breaks
Surfing brings joy to millions and is the lifeblood of many towns. But around the country, the beaches that make it possible are under threatThere’s a reason surfers like to keep their best breaks a secret. For decades, wave riders have blazed a trail into little-known coastal towns – and in their wake come the planners and developers. When Clint Bryan bought his house 40 minutes north of Perth city, one consideration was paramount: it had to be near his favourite surf break.
MINING giant Alcoa is to face court, charged with causing pollution with criminal negligence. After two years of investigation, the Department of Environment and Conservation has accused Alcoa of blanketing areas surrounding its Wagerup refinery, 125km south of Perth, with pollution. The DEC alleges red dust blew from Alcoa’s waste stockpiles, which are loaded with highly toxic materials including radioactive thorium and heavy metals on May 14, 2006.
Alcoa under investigation again
MINING giant Alcoa is again under investigation for allegedly failing to stop toxic dust escaping from its Wagerup waste stockpiles. Residents near the Wagerup refinery, 130km south of Perth, claim photos and videos they took show clouds of dust blowing off Alcoa’s red residue lakes on Boxing Day. The lakes, called residue drying areas (RDAs), store the by-product from processing alumina and are laden with radioactive materials and heavy metals.
Erin Brockovich backs two more WA towns in toxic war
US health crusader Erin Brockovich is going in to battle for two more WA towns whose residents say industrial pollution has put their lives at risk. The environmental activist, made famous by a film of her life, and Australian firm Shine Lawyers are investigating if families in Esperance and Dalyellup, near Bunbury, have grounds to sue neighbouring industries for damages.
ABNORMALLY hot sea temperatures at Ningaloo Reef are bleaching the area’s coral, environmental officers say. Ocean surface temperatures at the reef have been 3C higher than average since October and peaked at 29C in the past two weeks – the ‘trigger level’ for bleaching. The Department of Environment and Conservation detected the patches of bleached corals using satellite imaging.
WA MPs call for heads to roll over stinky waste report
TWO state MPs are calling for heads to roll after a pollution study revealed a Canning Vale composting plant is releasing noxious odours. Riverton MP Dr Mike Nahan and Member for Jandakot Joe Francis are calling for the South Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) chiefs to resign in wake of the damning report. The MPs have accused chairman Doug Thompson and chief executive officer Stuart McAll of failing to act responsibly when dealing with odour issues which have plagued the community for years.
Govt braces for housing compensation claims
IT’S a creeping, out-of-sight and costly mess that successive governments have tried to ignore but won’t go away. An affluent estate was built above a plume of toxic groundwater that leached from an unlined waste dump. The scandal is about to rebound on authorities, which withheld information about the contamination from families who bought and built homes on the land, writes Narelle Towie.
Pollution fears for Perth beaches and Swan River this summer
WORKERS will begin dredging work at Fremantle harbour next week, potentially polluting Perth beaches and the Swan River with a chemical-laced muddy plume for the next six months. From January 4, Fremantle Port will begin dredging 3.1 million cubic metres of sediment, containing Tributyltin (TBT) _ banned in Australia since 2008 _ mercury, pesticides, arsenic, organochlorides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s), from the bottom of Fremantle Harbour.
Officals use phantom probe to shield themselves from polluted water queries
GOVERNMENT officials hid behind a phantom investigation to avoid answering questions about a Perth groundwater contamination scandal. The Department of Housing declined to answer questions about its sale of affected land in 2005 to unsuspecting buyers. Instead, it simply stated it was “continuing its investigations into this matter”.
PRESERVATIVES added to cured meats, bacon and ground beef have been linked to dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Scientists say sodium nitrite, which is added to meat and fish to destroy toxins, reacts with proteins in the meat, damaging human DNA cells similar to aging.
Hunt over drums of hazardous waste dumped in Perth suburb
RUSTED drums of hazardous waste have been found illegally dumped and leaking at six inner-Perth sites, with some left on the banks of the Swan River. A further eight drums were found dumped on Daly St in Belmont today, hours after environment officials located 45 at five locations in the Burswood/Belmont area and another 12 in Gidgegannup.
THEY say people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. But perhaps the saying should be: People who drive petrol-guzzling Porsches while building Australia’s biggest mansion on the river shouldn’t preach about sustainability. As fertiliser king and queen Pankaj and Radhika Oswal excite and impress the A-listers of Perth with their annual no-expense-spared “what-the-hell” party, I can’t help but wonder how the lady of the house can blame meat-eaters for the demise of our planet.
Planting the seeds of survival
THINGS could have turned out very differently for John Howieson. At 18, the indecisive son of a high-school teacher haphazardly ticked the first subject on his university enrolment form: agriculture. Had he gone down a different academic path, the outcome for 600,000 African farmers would have been considerably bleaker.
Underwater robots to spy on WA fisheries
SMALL waterproof robots are being used by fisheries officials to spy on WA’s rock lobsters to figure out why the prized seafood is struggling to survive. The $115,000 pre-programmed POTBots will be attached to lobster pots between Shark bay and The Capes – Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin – so researchers can map the lobster’s underwater habitat and study their abundance and size compared to where they live.
‘Toxic’ site may delay highway
4 YEARS AGO |
The location of an asphalt plant near homes – without government approval – has also sparked health fears. A project team for the long-awaited Perth to Bunbury highway built the asphalt plant at a park, just 250m from homes in Baldivis, 41km south of Perth. City of Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels says the plant must be torn down and moved 1km away from residents – as stipulated in guidelines issued by the Environment Protection Agency.
Tuna industry whistleblower reveals whale shark slaughter
SHOCKING video of whale sharks, rays and whales being slaughtered by tuna fishermen has been released by an industry whistleblower. The never-before-seen footage shows protected marine life caught as bycatch, then killed after being lured into massive purse-seine nets by Fish Aggregating Devices, nicknamed death magnets.
Trawlers devastating WA marine life
WA’S seafloor is being “bulldozed” and cleared by trawling and gillnetting, a report published this week warns. The $15 million seafloor trawling and gillnetting industry snares hundreds of unwanted species, including shark, turtles, dolphins, sea lions and ray species, which are discarded as bycatch, the report says. It comes just days before consultation closes on draft marine parks in WA.
First-time photos of hidden shark colony
THE mere mention of the word “shark” is enough to send shivers down the spines of most beach-loving West Australians. But for 31-year-old marine ranger Claire O’Callaghan there was no greater thrill than coming face to face with 19 endangered grey nurse sharks. It took months for Ms O’Callaghan to get the co-ordinates of a secret cave off the coast of WA, where grey nurse sharks mass to mate and feed, so she could take these spectacular photographs.
Great white sharks tagged and monitored along Perth coast
MORE THAN 70 great white sharks have been tagged by scientists who will monitor when, where and for how long the predators linger near Perth’s beaches. In a world first, great white sharks will be monitored over the summer when they move to within 500m of metropolitan beaches from Ocean Reef to Garden and Rottnest Islands where satellite receivers are installed.
Where size matters on the new frontier
It’s a tiny matter with big implications. Hundreds of everyday products, from cosmetics and medicine to socks and food, contain nano materials, but little is known about its effect on human health while the science remains self-regulated. The Sunday Times’ Narelle Towie delves into a big world of tiny particles. Nanotechnology has the potential to alter the way people live.
Scientists mourn devastation of Valley of Geysers
Narelle Towie Wildlife in the Valley of Geysers (top) may be threatened by the rubble that has caused flooding (below).Igor Shpilenok (Teams of scientists have been sent to the Valley of Geysers, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia, to report on the condition of the World Heritage site after a massive landslide in the Kronotsky national reserve.
Sound waves showcase animal pregnancy. Credit: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICOpening up an unseen world, this detailed ultrasound scan captures an elephant not in the wild — but in the womb. The image, which has been enhanced with computer graphics, shows a 75-kilogram elephant fetus already decked out with footpads and a trunk.
Condemned to single-sex life by climate change
Narelle Towie Male delivery? Within 80 years there might be no female tuataras born at all.N. Mitchell et al. Rising temperatures look set to produce male-only offspring in the tuatara, condemning the ancient reptile species to extinction by 2085, computer modelling predicts.
Malaria breakthrough raises spectre of drug resistance
The ‘miracle’ malaria drug artemisinin is a step closer to being produced plentifully and cheaply. Synthetic chemists have put plant genes into yeast to make it churn out large amounts of the precursor artemisinic acid. The discovery brings hope to areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, where those who need the drug most can ill afford it.
Narelle Towie Avoiding the lurgy: spiny lobsters can detect and avoid diseased mates.© Mark ButlerCaribbean spiny lobsters have a cunning way to avoid catching disease: they seem to be able to sniff out the scent of illness in their peers before infected neighbours show any symptoms. The normally gregarious animals can then stay well clear of the sickly. Such a trick is unusual in the animal world.
Oxygen burst seen before the birth of complex life
Narelle Towie A blast of mineral-rich water from melting glaciers could have fed plant life and boosted oxygen levels that trickled into the deep sea.GettyA sharp increase in the amount of oxygen in the air may have sparked the evolution of complex animal life.
Published online 30 October 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news051024-13 Corrected online: 31 October 2005 Narelle Towie The new treatment aims to stop HIV invading the body’s cells.© SPLA triple-action gel has been shown to restrict the spread of an HIV-related virus in monkeys, raising hopes for a fresh weapon in the fight against AIDS.
Scientists issue declaration at Bali
Published online 6 December 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2007.361 News International researchers put their names to a proposal for emissions cuts.
Thylacine footprints found in WA’s Augusta Jewel Cave
SCIENTISTS have discovered the footprints of an extinct thylacine in soft mud in WA’s Augusta Jewel Cave. Cave workers accidentally made the “extremely rare” find while taking water samples in a remote area of the cave. For the first time, images of the new thylacine (popularly called Tasmanian tiger) footprints plus never-before-seen photographs of prints discovered nearly 20 years ago will be on display at the caves in Augusta from this Saturday.
Wheatbelt towns lashed by thunderstorms
| The Herald Sun SEVERE thunderstorms have damaged Wheatbelt homes and dumped rain across Perth’s metropolitan area. And worse is expected to come when Tropical Cyclone Bianca hits today. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning for coastal areas from Jurien Bay to Albany as the category three storm continues to track south, however it is likely to have eased into a category two storm by midnight tonight.
Not even an hour into our trek through dense rainforest, we spotted one. But as quick as he appeared, he was gone, lost in the vast wet canopy once more. Eager to catch another glimpse of one of the world’s most endangered great apes, we took off in pursuit. Dripping with sweat, we scrambled along the peat moss jungle floor of Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, Borneo, in a frantic search for a wild orang-utan.
Mining the Gorgon gas field will generate billions of dollars for the Australian economy and create thousands of jobs. But will it come at a cost to the environment? The Sunday Times environment reporter Narelle Towie answers 20 questions on a resource project tipped to fuel the WA economy for the next 20 years. Why is Gorgon the word on every politician’s lips?
Scientists find two ‘sunken islands’ off WA
SCIENTISTS have discovered two huge sunken islands in the Indian Ocean west of Perth. The islands, about the size of Tasmania, were once part of the supercontinent Gondwana and are more than 1.5km underwater. Researchers from the University of Sydney, Macquarie University and the University of Tasmania say the islands were once above water and formed part of the last link between India and Australia. They made the discovery while mapping the seafloor of the Perth Abyssal Plain.
Treasure trove of fossils found Down Under
Narelle Towie Researchers found the first-known complete skeleton of the marsupial ‘lion’ Thylacoleo carnifex in a cave under the Nullarbor Plain, Australia.Click here to see more images of this amazing animal. The skeletons of eight new species of extinct kangaroo have been found amongst a bounty of fossils beneath the arid Nullarbor plain in south-central Australia.
United Nations shelves action on indoor hazards
Deadlock over plans to combat domestic pollution. A United Nations (UN) meeting has failed to agree on an action plan to deal with indoor air pollution — the range of hazards related to cooking indoors that is thought to kill more people every year in poor countries than malaria. Cooking with fire: wood-burning stoves are a major source of indoor pollution. Image: J.
âGreed took overâ: Australian farmers
Mon, May 06, 2019 – Page 7ãWater mining is big business in rural Australia, but many growers fear for the future of their groundwaterBy Narelle Towie / The Guardian Illustration: Yusha It was the middle of the night and the roar of a massive truck echoed through the tiny village of Uki in northern New South Wales (NSW).
Water mining: claims bottled water companies illegally extracting groundwater
Lawyers for a northern New South Wales council are investigating claims that bottled water businesses have broken the law with recent groundwater extractions. Tweed Shire council’s planning and regulation director, Vince Connell, says the council is “carefully considering its legal options” after receiving a large number of “non-compliance” allegations from the public about water extraction businesses.
Burning issue: are waste-to-energy plants a good idea?
It’s the controversial scheme that’s attracting attention across the nation but as more waste-to-energy facilities get the green light, critics fear the opportunity to improve Australia’s recycling industry is going up in smoke. Waste-to-energy, also called bioenergy, has been used in Europe, east Asia and the United States for decades to destroy garbage that would otherwise go to landfill.
Oldest chimp tools found in West Africa
| Nature
Narelle Towie Moden chimps may follow the eating rituals of their ancestors. Click here to see which other animals use tools.Narelle Towie/ntIn the West African rainforest, archaeologists have found ancient chimpanzee stone tools thousands of years older than the previous oldest finds in the same area. The discovery suggests that chimps may have passed cultural information down the generations for more than 4,000 years.
One year on: where is Australia’s recycling going now?
Recycling is being stockpiled and council authorities fear it will soon head to landfill, as Australia’s recycling crisis continues to take its toll on the industry. More than a year after China refused to accept 99% of the world’s recycling, halting the export of more than one million tonnes of Australian waste each year, the heads of local government warn the recycling market is still in trouble.
WA government lifts statewide fracking ban
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan has lifted a statewide moratorium on fracking amid intense opposition from large parts of the community. The controversial drilling practice, which fractures the ground to release trapped gas, will now be allowed on existing titles and subject to veto by Aboriginal groups and farmers. McGowan said fracking will be prohibited across Perth, the south-west, the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley and all existing and proposed national parks.
Nigel Farage fans heckled as ‘Nazi scum’ outside event in Perth
Dozens of protesters have heckled ticket holders in Perth on the first night of Nigel Farage’s week-long speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand. Police formed a cordon around the demonstrators, who shouted “Nazi scum off our streets” and “shame” as people entered the 350-capacity hall in Western Australia. One woman held up a sign reading “Farage out Manning in”, in reference to the US whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was denied a visa by the Australian government last week.
Review: Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic
DISNEY’S latest ice theatre spectacular has hit Perth, dishing up an arena full of princesses, fairy tales and amazing costumes. But as always, it’s the skating that impresses most. Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic is packed full of spins, jumps (and only a couple of spills) to the sounds of their most popular songs – no covers here. The 1.5-hour production wheels out 50 characters who skate dance their way through potted versions of some of Disney’s best-known movie plots.
Santa’s Magical Kingdom delivers Christmas cheer
GIANT baubles, ‘real’ snow, reindeer and festive spirit at every turn make Santa’s Magical Kingdom one of my favourite events of the year. While all the seasons cheer and whiz-bang carnival rides are a bit over-the-top, my inner Christmas child couldn’t help but jump up and down when Mrs Claus cruised by her fake fireplace. There’s Snowland, complete with a real-life snow fairy, a craft corner to make Christmas decorations, and life-size gingerbread statues.
Perth summer nights forecast to be hotter than normal
GET ready to be hot and sweaty between the sheets this summer, with forecasters predicting above average overnight temperatures between December and February for Perth. While the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts normal summer maximums, above the medium minimum temperature of 17.3C is likely over the festive season, it says. As summer begins, so too does the warm weather with a 35C Saturday on the cards and a forecast of 37C for Sunday with an overnight low of an uncomfortable 21 low.
Perth researchers call for help to find ‘alien’ fish
FISH scientists are hunting for WA’s affectionately named pink river monsters – a strange alien-like fish with glass teeth that lives in mud. Also known as a worm goby, the elusive creatures are almost impossible to find and researchers from Perth and Darwin are hoping the public may help them catch one. Worm gobys are pink, mostly blind and often feature large glass-like teeth.
The social lives of whale sharks have been revealed in a 22-year study that tweaked a NASA star-finder tool to track the bus-sized creatures congregating at hotspots across the globe. An international research team, including WA biologists, adapted an algorithm normally used to spot distant star patterns to identify and map more than 6000 of the world’s largest fish by their spots.
Perth Sh-t the Bed hot sauce mum makes $8000 a day on Amazon
A PERTH mum who made it big selling Sh—t the Bed hot sauce around the world has hit number one on Amazon, as the online selling giant prepares to launch in Australia. Renae Bunster’s hot sauce has surpassed global rivals Sriracha and Tabsco after just six months on the site and she plans to celebrate this weekend from her North Perth home where it all began.
Big Day Out changes venue to Arena Joondalup after spat with Claremont
This was published 7 years ago January 16, 2014 — 2.20pmBig Day Out Perth organisers say they have been forced to move the music festival to Arena Joondalup just weeks before the event after a long-running spat with Claremont Council. Chief executive officer Adam Zammit said decades of fighting with the Town of Claremont and last minute noise-monitoring conditions had forced organisers to relocate north. Big Day Out.
Elderly couple hit with grief of losing a lifetime of memories
A KELMSCOTT family has told of their pain and almost indescribable anguish at losing their life’s belongings in the horrific bushfire which destroyed their home. Through tears Kelmscott and Roleystone residents have begun to speak of their loss and the stories are heartbreaking. People in the evacuation centre at the Armadale Arena are tired, anxious, sunburnt and hot — and more than 50 per cent have not yet been allowed home to witness the fire’s destruction.
‘Cop’ questioned over bushfires
| The Advertiser (South Australia)
A MAN believed to be a police officer is under investigation for starting devastating bushfires in Perth. A MAN believed to be a police officer is under investigation for starting Perth’s devastating bushfires. He has been questioned over allegedly using the angle grinder that sparked the firestorm that destroyed 68 homes in the bush-fringed sububs of Roleystone and Kelmscott on Sunday. A total fire ban was in place at the time.
Couple fear their Bromfield Drive home is gone, but the waiting is agony
THE waiting is torture for Kelmscott women Grace Coffey and Sue Brunt. They fear their two-storey, newly renovated, wooden house on Bromfield Drive, Kelmscott in the worst affected fire area may be gone, amid confusing reports while they remain shut out of the fire zone. While some people have reported there is nothing left of the house, officials don’t have number 22 on their “100 per cent damaged” list.
Devastation: 72 homes lost as residents return to fire zone
By Nicole Cox, Narelle Towie, Phil Hickey
AS Paul Bosveld surveyed the smouldering ruin of his burnt-out Perth Hills home he concluded he was “just going to travel through life a bit lighter from now on”. The 62-year-old and his wife Nola were among the unlucky ones who lost their homes when a fierce and fast-moving bushfire ripped through the bush-fringed suburbs of Kelmscott and Roleystone on Sunday. At least 72 homes were lost in the blaze, believed to have been started by sparks from an angle grinder.
Black Sunday fires: blaze is contained but residents warned to be vigilant
By Narelle Towie, Nicole Cox, Phil Hickey
RAGING bushfires that destroyed 64 homes are contained and under control but residents are still on alert as conditions in Kelmscott and Roleystone remain unpredictable. FESA have downgraded the bushfire after bringing the blaze under control just after 6.30pm but are warning residents that a fire is still burning and that conditions are changing.
Kelmscott residents describe their agonising wait for news of their homes
NEIGHBOURS have hailed a Seville Grove man a hero after he armed himself with a hose to fight flames bearing down on his friends’ Kelmscott home. Aaron Gill ignored warnings to evacuate and tried to save the homes of his former TAFE mechanics teacher Jeff Devlin and wife Lisa – and some of their neighbours. Mr Gill was attending a 21st birthday party at the Devlins home and as locals fled, he ran from house to house dousing spot fires.
Would Perth cope with 100-year flood?
SCORES of suburbs line Perth’s river system, but just how would the city hold up against a massive flood? PerthNow’s science and environment reporter Narelle Towie answers the key questions. The earliest record of the Swan River flooding was in 1830 when the river rose by 6m and the largest occurred in 1862 when three weeks of relentless heavy rain over the Swan-Avon catchment covered Perth, including the Causeway in over 2m of flood waters for weeks.
IF you ever doubted the severity of WA’s water crisis, take a look at the graph sending shivers down the back of WA’s water chief. It shows rainwater flows – which 1.6 million people from Perth to Mandurah and through parts of the South-West and Goldfields rely on for drinking, through the Integrated Water Supply System (IWSS) – are down to a trickle this year. Just 12.7 gigalitres has run into dams compared with the average of 186GL.
Is going organic likely to cost us the Earth?
TO the casual observer organic foods look and taste like their conventional counterparts but with a much heftier price tag. Are foods produced without synthetic chemicals a healthier alternative or an unnecessary luxury reserved for the rich? PerthNow’s science reporter Narelle Towie weighs up whether conventional farming or organic production is costing the earth.
Red Bull air race preview over Swan River
AS the race plane taxied down the make-shift grass runway the tale of ex-fighter pilot and air race legend Matt Hall’s miraculous escape after his engine burst into flames echoed in my mind. He had made it safely to the ground on a wing and a prayer after fire cut power to the engine of his tiny craft, but would I be so lucky if something went wrong today?
Study reveals extensive Swan River pollution
THE Swan and Canning rivers are polluted with toxic levels of cancer-causing heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons, a three-year sediment study has found. Poisons including zinc, lead, copper, mercury and dieldrin were found to exceed guidelines at seven sites across Perth. The middle section of the Swan River, including Claisebrook, Maylands, Belmont Race Course, Burswood and sites directly in front of the city, were the most contaminated.
Fumes anger families near Baldivis asphalt plant
EXCLUSIVE: AS an asphalt manufacturing plant south of Perth splutters to life, residents living nearby complain they are already choking on diesel fumes. The plant was erected without government approval just 100m from the nearest home in Baldivis, 41km south of Perth. It is needed to provide bitumen for the Perth to Bunbury Highway. But residents are outraged that environmental guidelines – stating asphalt plants must be 1km from the nearest resident – have not been enforced.
Narelle Towie 