As it happened: WA news on Friday, May 3

Do you hear that? It’s Brian Johnson howling over that famous riff from the Young brothers on AC/DC’s Back in Black. And it’s coming from the offices at Collie’s Premier Coal.

OK, we’ll admit, we can’t confirm the coal miner’s bosses are blaring a bit of Acca Dacca, but you wouldn’t blame them if they were, given the latest figures posted this week.

As Peter Milne reports, WA’s biggest coal miner has returned to profit after an $84 million loss the year before.

Chinese-owned Premier turned a small profit of $2 million in the 12 months to December 2023, according to accounts lodged with the corporate regulator, with sales revenue leaping 52 per cent to $291 million.

The result comes after a troubled 2022 when a wet winter and safety problems caused it to under-deliver its main contract to supply the Collie and Muja power stations run by state-owned power generator Synergy.

But there are challenges ahead as the WA government moves to phase out coal-fired power generation by the end of the decade.

Premier’s main revenue comes from a 25-year contract to supply coal to state-owned power generator Synergy’s Muja and Collie power stations that expires in 2030.

Premier and Griffin Coal also supply coal to privately owned Bluewaters Power station, South32’s Worsley Alumina and Adbri’s lime plant in suburban Munster.

Premier, owned by Chinese company Shandong Energy Group, increased its provision for rehabilitating its mine after closure from $43 million to $56 million.

Its accounts noted that the state government’s 2022 decision to close Synergy’s two coal-fired power stations by 2029 had significantly shortened the life of its mine, bringing the cleanup costs forward.

Another former Perth immigration detainee released following a High Court ruling last year has been arrested and charged with an aggravated burglary that he allegedly committed while under the watch of the federal police and wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet.

Kimbengere Gosoge, 42, was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly breaching curfew for nearly a week and then turning off his ankle device.

Gosoge is alleged to have breached the conditions of his visa five times between April 26 and May 1 by failing to observe his residential curfew obligations, and is alleged to have failed to keep his monitoring device in working order.

He appeared at Midland Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon and did not apply for bail. He was remanded in custody to reappear at Perth Magistrates Court on May 16.

Read more here.

Back to Roger Cook again, and he has dashed hopes of a WA version of the Queensland government’s massive $1000 electricity credit announced by Premier Steven Miles on Thursday.

Since the COVID pandemic, the WA government has shaved hundreds of dollars off power bills by offering electricity credits, but Cook said next week’s state budget would not include a credit of that size. He wouldn’t even confirm there would be another credit.

“Queensland power prices are roughly double those are Western Australia. So they obviously have to make a significant effort in relation to any cost of living measure,” he said.

“Last year, they had a 24 per cent increase in their power prices in Queensland compared to our 2.5 per cent increase, so Western Australia is in a better position.

“I’m not saying there’s going to be any sort of credit but obviously, as you know, cost of living measures are a key priority for my government at the moment, which is the reason why we brought in things such as the summer of free public transport, free public transport for kids going to and from school, the WA school assistance payment and capped regional airfares.”

Staying with Cook, and during his press conference this morning he also commented on Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, who are currently missing in Mexico.

Mexican authorities have found a car believed to belong to one of the brothers, burnt out on a property nearby where they had last camped.

The brothers were travelling with US national Carter Rhoad when the trio failed to make it to pre-arranged accommodation.

Cook said the situation was not looking great, but he held out hope.

I just want Callum and Jake to come home. This must be horrible for the Robinson family and for everyone in the community who knows those boys.

We just want to bring them home and I just hope that [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] and the Mexican authorities can make sure we do that as soon as possible.

WA Premier Roger Cook has weighed in on revelations that police decided not to visit the Yangebup home of Joan Mary Drane 48 hours before she was allegedly murdered by her son Andre, despite St John Ambulance officer requests.

At a press conference this morning, Cook said he had sought a briefing from WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch on the timeline of events.

“I’ve received some initial indicators in terms of the timelines, and I’m not satisfied with the detail of that information,” he said.

“Obviously, this is a very traumatic situation. Our frontline officers, both paramedics and police had to deal with a very confronting situation, and so I appreciate the anxiety and the distress that this has caused.

“I’ll be seeking a full briefing from the commissioner of police, but also from the health service provider in the area just to make sure we understand if something went wrong, or what did go wrong, and how we can address it.”

Here’s a good solid bit of analysis to get your teeth into for any media and business news junkies out there.

Media writer Calum Jaspan examines how The West Australian’s 38-year-old editor-in-chief, Anthony De Ceglie, has been enlisted to stabilise Seven’s ailing crown jewel, its TV news, despite having no experience in the medium, after a series of costly errors and scandals – see Seven’s misidentification of the Bondi Junction killer and its Bruce Lehrmann Spotlight scandals.

But he’s widened the lens in using this only as a case study to explain how nightly television news, traditionally the spine of a network’s business, its cash cow and a ratings winner, is facing existential structural pressures as older audiences switch to websites and apps, while younger audiences increasingly consume news through social media.

Jaspan explains how this is forcing a major rethink of how TV news is delivered, and who is best suited to do so, not just at Seven West but also Nine Network (owner of this masthead) after the departure of news and current affairs director Darren Wick, as well as what the equation looks like for Ten, Sky and the public broadcasters ABC and SBS.

Read the whole analysis here.

The temperature is climbing in Canberra as the government weathers the fallout from revelations that not only was the alleged perpetrator of a violent attack on a Perth grandmother a released immigration detainee, but that the Community Protection Board had allowed his electronic ankle monitor to be removed.

In case you missed it, David Crowe, the chief political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, had this to say in an opinion piece published yesterday afternoon;

There are now 153 former detainees in the community and about half of them were convicted or charged with assault before going into detention. The list includes seven murderers and 37 sex offenders. And the problem will not go away. Like it or not, ministers have to manage these cases. Being in power means being responsible for immigration detention.

“Community safety is our priority,” the government says. Tell that to Ninette Simons.

Read the full story here.

To soccer now, and Perth Glory skipper Natasha Rigby has announced her shock retirement, but hopes the financial instability that cut her career short won’t be a problem for future generations.

Rigby has made 117 consecutive A-League Women appearances across eight seasons since making her debut in 2016.

The 31-year-old says physically she could have played on for several more years.

But the financial sacrifice of forging an ALW career instead of a professional one convinced Rigby the time was right to hang up the boots.

“It definitely was a difficult decision. It’s one I’ve been thinking about for a long time now,” Rigby said.

“Although there has been significant growth in the women’s game, unfortunately we still struggle financially.

“So that instability and insecurity has been something that has been a bit of a barrier for myself, along with looking to build a sustainable future.

“I probably still have a few years left in my body, but my heart has given everything to Glory.”

Rigby has taken up a role as manager of female football and advocacy at Football West.

AAP