WA news LIVE: Former Perth teacher charged with historical child sex offences
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9.45am
Former teacher charged with historical child sex offences
A 64-year-old man will face court today over alleged child sex offences dating back to 1992 and 1993, when he was a teacher at a high school in Perth.
The man, who now lives in Spencer Park in Albany, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student at the school.
Sex assault squad detectives charged the man on Thursday last week with one count of sexually penetrating a child over 16 years under their care, and one count of indecently deals with a child over 16 under their authority.
The man is due to appear before Albany Magistrates Court today.
9.45am
Across the country
Here's what's making news elsewhere this morning:
Labor's contentious environmental reforms could pass with support from the Liberal Party after the Coalition split, as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says she will work with the government on changes bitterly opposed by the Nationals during the previous term of parliament.
The secretive agency investigating war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith over multiple murders, including cases not canvassed in his marathon defamation trial, has secured the co-operation of new witnesses. Amid the damning fresh evidence is footage of the disgraced ex-soldier swilling beer from the prosthetic leg of an Afghan man he executed.
Australia's leading cyber intelligence and security agency has condemned attacks by a notorious Russian hacking group known as 'Fancy Bear', which is accused of orchestrating a cyber-espionage campaign targeting critical infrastructure and organisations aiding Ukraine's war effort.
The time it takes to build an apartment has blown out to more than 2½ times the period required to construct a house. National completion times for apartments have increased from 1.7 years in 2012 to 2013 to 2.7 years in 2023 to 2024.
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Welcome to our live news blog
Good morning readers, and welcome to our live news blog for Thursday, May 22.
Making headlines today is the latest from an ongoing furore over what has become one of the 'most policed areas of Perth', according to the state's police minister.
Inglewood residents living near a trouble-plagued public housing complex warn anti-social behaviour could escalate unless the government steps up efforts to clamp down on the issue.
They took their concerns to parliament on Wednesday, where Housing Minister John Carey was grilled during question time – and heckled from the public gallery.
Meanwhile, it's no secret the current situation for Perth's renters is dire. Those who are looking to secure a place to live are forking out lots more than they would just a few years ago, while tenants brace for rent increases.
But how about an increase of $300 a week? Yes, you read that right. It seems a bit much? That was the amount WAtoday reporter Holly Thompson and her partner were hit with in a recent rent hike.
It feels like it should be illegal – but it isn't.
And finally, in the latest instalment of our Three Things I Love series, WAtoday speaks with Young Volunteer of the Year Bree Del Borello of Lancelin to find out what she treasures most about her home state.
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