Dozens of sharks have reportedly been caught since Western Australia’s “catch-and-kill” drum line program began two weeks ago. Firm numbers are not available given the WA government’s unwillingness to…
In response to seven fatal attacks in the last three years by what are believed great white sharks the government of Western Australia has decided to cull all sharks larger than 3m – a pretty barbaric…
Shark bites on humans are best viewed as random acts of nature rather than deliberate attacks.
Mogens Trolle/www.shutterstock.com
The mathematics of shark bites look pretty simple: the more incidents, the worse the situation. That said, no amount of scientific explanation can fully address the tragedy of people being injured or killed…
Monday’s heatwave forecast - with even worse heat predicted for the south-east this week.
http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/heatwave/
Across south-eastern Australia this morning, people are waking up to forecasts of scorching heat for the week ahead. Players and spectators heading to the Australian Open should prepare for some baking…
Great White Sharks will be one of the species targeted under Western Australia’s new shark plan.
Flickr/Mshai
After a spate of fatal shark attacks over the past two years, Western Australia has released a radical new shark plan that will see large sharks removed and destroyed from designated “safe zones”. The…
Western Australia’s three-year trial found electric cars are a good fit for Australian cities.
Luke Stearns
Australia’s first electric vehicle trial has been completed. It ran from early 2010 to the end of 2012 with 11 electric Ford Focus and 23 fast-AC charging bays (Level-2). We found few technological barriers…
A combination of government policy and personal responsibility will keep us safer from sharks than culls will.
AAP Image/Rebecca Le May
Ryan Kempster, The University of Western Australia e Shaun Collin, The University of Western Australia
In light of the most recent shark bite fatality in Western Australia (WA) last week, there have been renewed calls for a cull of large sharks to protect ocean users. Environment minister Greg Hunt has…
The ability of a country to make its mind up says a lot about how prepared it is for the future, its resilience and its competitive standing. How a country goes about reducing its carbon is very revealing…
Despite his electoral success earlier this year, WA premier Colin Barnett has suffered a string of economic blows - the latest being a credit rating downgrade and the rejection of his proposed raise in the GST.
AAP/Theron Kirkman
2013 hasn’t been a good year for Western Australian premier Colin Barnett. Standard and Poor’s recent downgrade of his government’s credit rating continues a pattern. It is not an aberration. Barnett’s…
Due to its small population, WA has only 15 federal electorates, or 11% of the total.
Twodogz photography
STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. During Tony Abbott’s recent campaign visit to Western Australia, the state’s…
Alannah MacTiernan has been preselected for the ALP in the seat of Perth - one of the few the party hold in WA - to replace retiring defence minister Stephen Smith.
AAP/Rebecca Le May
The federal seat of Perth is one of only three federal electorates currently held by Labor in Western Australia. Retaining this seat is critical if Labor is to avoid complete oblivion in the west. The…
WA Nationals MP Tony Crook is not running for re-election in September. Who will succeed in the ‘friendly’ battle for O'Connor?
AAP/Penny Bradfield
The Western Australian seat of O’Connor provides a fascinating battle between the Liberal and National parties that reflects a struggle to win the hearts and minds – and votes – of regional Western Australians…
Liberal MP Ken Wyatt became the first Indigenous member of the lower house in 2010 in the WA seat of Hasluck. Will he be returned this time?
AAP/Alan Porritt
The outer suburban Western Australian seat of Hasluck moved centre stage during the last federal election for two reasons. First, the tight result meant that it was not decided until late in the count…
Here, have a Margaret River burrowing crayfish.
Quinton Burnham
Australia boasts the largest freshwater crayfish in the world. But less well known are the much smaller crayfish that live, not in rivers, lakes or dams, but in burrows. Australia has several types of…
Litigation surrounding current Noongar land title claims is convoluted and limiting, but will there be an adequate solution?
AAP/Cortlan Bennett
The current negotiations over the Noongar native title claim in the south-west corner of Australia reflect an important maturing of the native title resolution process. Beneath the photo opportunities…
Climate change, and its associated variability, is posing a challenge for farm businesses in Western Australia. The grainbelt has experienced a 20% decline in rainfall over the last several decades, more…
Western Australia remains the only state to have attempted to secede from the Australian federation, passing a referendum in favour in 1933.
AAP/Adam Gartrell
Gina Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock was a big proponent of Western Australia seceding from the Australian federation, and every time the latest figures on GST distributions are released, sympathetic sentiments…