Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog, bringing you all the news that matters to West Australians.
We’re going to call this the “Rinehart” effect, when the mere presence of Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, sprinkles star dust – or maybe iron ore dust – over everything in the vicinity.
Gallery visitors view artwork by Vincent Namatjira at the National Gallery of Australia this month, Gina Rinehart’s portrait is in the middle row, third from left.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The latest beneficiary of the Rinehart magic is the National Gallery of Australia, subject of a recent campaign by the mining billionaire and her supporters to remove two portraits of her from display, but where attendance numbers have soared by 24 per cent since the furore broke out this month.
Meanwhile, the fall-out from the double-murder of a Floreat mother and daughter continues today, with columnist Gary Adshead claiming our hindsight treatment of domestic violence issues is one of the reasons women are still getting murdered.
And journalist Sarah Brookes writes about how Western Power ignored her broken meter and made wild usage guesses instead.
Lastly, a social entrepreneur has brought her financial abuse battle to Perth. Read more here.
Stay with us as we bring you the news as it happens.