Latest news with #Mandurah
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Thornlie-Cockburn link opens as part of 'unprecedented' investment in Metronet project
More than 18 months of disruption is coming to an end for some commuters as Perth's first east-west rail connection opens this week to service communities from Mandurah to Armadale. The Thornlie-Cockburn link and adjacent rail elevation are part of WA Labor's flagship infrastructure project Metronet. The developments, in Perth's south east, feature a $1.3 billion rail extension with two new stations connecting Thornlie to Cockburn Central, and a $1.6 billion elevation of five stations and rail from Carlisle to Beckenham. The elevation is hoped to address road congestion — with the state government previously saying boom gates were down for up to six hours a day at some level crossings — and open up public spaces around and under the rail line. Transport minister Rita Saffioti said despite cost and time blowouts, the level of infrastructure delivered through the Metronet project was "unprecedented". "Generational infrastructure is hard," Ms Saffioti said. "These projects are really for the public. They're about the future and they're about making transport even more affordable and accessible." The projects were jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Construction of the latest Metronet development did not come without disruption. The Armadale line was shut down for 18 months for construction, and that disruption was set to continue for thousands of commuters due to a delay on the opening of the elevated Armadale and Byford stations. Commuters relying on the Armadale line have been taking longer journeys on replacement bus services, while road closures have left some businesses isolated from their communities. Butcher Matt Budny said at one point, roads on either side of his shop in Carlisle were closed to facilitate the Metronet construction and another roadworks project. "We were close to closing up ... after they closed both sides," Mr Budny said. Mr Budny said the lack of access caused him to lose more than half of his usual business. "Especially if you've got family, who wants to do a 15 minute detour?" he said. "It was devastating [but] I know that things need to be done, the train line is a good thing." A deli on the other side of the Carlisle station also told the ABC it lost about 50 per cent of its usual business when road closures cut off access to their shop.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Disgusting' sight on roadside moves Aussie driver to tears: 'No excuse'
A 'shocked and disgusted' Aussie driver is demanding action be taken after she was 'moved to tears' on Sunday morning while travelling on a busy road. Kayla Gallop, who lives on the southwest coast of Western Australia, has noticed illegally dumped items steadily piling up on Stock Road — located near an expanding housing development in Lakelands — for the past six months. The single mum frequents the area every two weeks, and has grown increasingly frustrated with the growing piles of discarded belongings, but what she witnessed last weekend left her brimming with anger. After pulling over to take photos of lawn mowers strewn across the reserve, Gallop and her two young children watched in horror as a kangaroo with a joey hopped through broken glass and over a smashed TV. 'It just absolutely killed me,' she told Yahoo News. 'It was really eye-opening and I thought I'm not going to sit back anymore — this has been annoying me for months. What are we doing to the earth? What are we showing our children? 'It was very symbolic… it was a mother kangaroo and her baby, and I'm there with my babies, and I want more for them, and I want more for the environment.' Within hours, Gallop had reported the illegal dumping — an 'all too familiar story' nationwide amid the race to solve the housing crisis — to the City of Mandurah and made a call out online for locals to 'do better'. She even created the hashtag 'Don't Take a Dump in Mandurah'. However, some people responded that the price of the tip may lure residents who are struggling with the cost of living into the 'grubby act'. At Mandurah's Waste Management Centre, tossing a boot-load of items will cost $25 for those driving a sedan, and $37 for a SUV. Those hauling a trailer measuring under a cubic metre will have to pay $51, with the price jumping up from there depending on the size. To help solve the issue, Gallop, who herself is a low-income earner, told Yahoo News the City of Mandurah should offer one day a month during which those struggling to make ends meet could take their rubbish to the tip for free. Homeowners in the area are given four tip vouchers each year, but it is often a struggle for renters to get a property manager to pass them on, the mum said. 🔧 Tradie fined $30k after photo sent to council catches him in 'grubby' act 🚘 Driver slapped with $2,580 fine after trying to save $20 🚧 Photo exposes illegal act 'surging' across Australia: 'Worst I've seen' Mayor Caroline Knight told Yahoo 'sadly, the illegal dumping of waste occurs in bushland across the city and in other local government areas on both public and private property, leading to environmental impacts, and costly clean-ups for the city and affected landowners'. An investigation into the dumping along Stock Road is underway, she confirmed. 'There is no excuse for this type of behaviour, as through the annual waste collection program, the city provides plenty of opportunities for people to correctly dispose of their waste,' Knight said. 'Anyone caught illegally dumping can be prosecuted under the Litter Act 1979, which can attract penalties of up to $10,000.' The minimum fine is $200. Earlier this year, Danny Gorog, CEO and founder of Snap Send Solve, told Yahoo the growing problem 'signals a bigger issue with waste disposal accessibility and awareness'. 'Whether it's dumped tyres in fields or household waste dumped in laneways, it shows we need better solutions to make proper disposal easier and more convenient,' he said. 'While most people do the right thing, it only takes a few to create a big mess for everyone else.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
WA mum lays bare son's struggle with life-threatening disease
Mandurah mum Kailah Macintyre is selling roses at Mandurah Forum on 65 Roses Day this Thursday in honour of her son Dusty, who is battling cystic fibrosis. The five-year-old boy started on the modular drug Trikafta four months ago which Ms Macintyre said was making a big difference to his quality of life. Dusty Macintyre has been living with Cystic Fibrosis for five years. Credit: Supplied 'He's been a lot better but still wishes he was normal like other kids,' she said. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'Dusty asks why his mates don't have to do physio or why don't they have to have enzymes and I tell him it's because he is special, and he is a superhero.' According to Cystic Fibrosis WA there are more than 400 West Australian adults and children battling with the life-threatening disease every day. Dusty's mum will be selling roses at Mandurah Forum on May 22. Credit: Supplied The money raised from 65 Roses Day will assist CFWA in providing vital support services such as helping families with treatment at home. It also enables life-changing research, with $2 million recently pledged to fund a WA-based CF research program. The program is made possible with matched funding through the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation fund Co-funding Partnerships Program. Cystic Fibrosis WA CEO Lisa Bayakly said the name, 65 Roses, originated from a small boy's attempt at saying cystic fibrosis, and was still what some children with CF called their disease. 'It is one of the most common and complex, life-limiting diseases affecting children and adults in Australia and there is still no cure,' she said. Ms Bayakly said that while the environment was changing, with new drug therapies giving many people with CF a huge boost to their physical and mental health, there's still much more work to be done. 'We're working hard in this space to meet changing needs and the money we raise each year on 65 Roses Day has a huge impact on our ability to continue supporting our CF community,' she said.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Why an Aussie bloke fined $25,000 by his local council thought he was 'doing the right thing'
A Western Australian man who was fined $25,000 for clearing native trees on his property and council land without approval has argued the gardening works were done for the benefit of endangered animals. Craig Wilson Donohue faced Mandurah Magistrates Court on May 7 charged with carrying out development in an area subject to a local planning scheme. Mr Donohue pleaded guilty for clearing and substantially trimming native bushland on his Forrington Heights property and part of the Shire of Waroona's road reserve. The trimming, which took place in late 2024, spanned an area of at least 1,000sqm of bushland which had been deemed an environmentally sensitive area. Mr Donohue claimed he was trying to 'do the right thing' by removing fencing and barbed wire from the area as he believed it presented a 'danger to native animals'. He also argued the invasive cottonbush, poisonous nightshade and South African weed watsonia had taken over the area and blocked native fauna from flourishing. But the council's prosecutor told the court his actions would have long-lasting and significant impacts on the protected area, the Mandurah Times reported. The Shire of Waroona claimed Mr Donohue's mechanical trimming and hot burning - an intense fire over an extensive area - had impacted the natural habitat of several endangered plants and animals. Council argued the marri and banksia trees, which are the natural foraging habitat of the black cockatoo, split open and died due to the heat of the fire. Native shrubs and ground covers were also substantially trimmed and cleared. While the prosecution accepted Mr Donohue's actions were 'somewhat inadvertent' they argued he should have received clearance from the council. On her ruling, Magistrate Leanne Atkins told Mr Donohue there would be a significant penalty for his actions as he failed to seek the appropriate approval. He was fined $25,000 and was ordered to pay $1,500 in costs to the council. In accepting the decision, Mr Donohue pledged to sow 200 plants over the course of two years to help with re-vegetation in the affected area.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Heartbreaking twist after Aussie parents die in Mother's Day tragedy
The loving parents who were killed during a freak car crash on a highway in Western Australia had their 17-month-old daughter in the back seat. Emergency services rushed to Forrest Highway near Yunderup, outside of Mandurah, south of Perth, on Sunday at about 6.20pm following reports of a crash. Harrison McElroy, 24, and Kayla Sheppard, 31, had parked their car in the southbound emergency lane and had exited the vehicle when a dark blue Volvo station wagon travelling in the same direction crashed into them. The driver of the Volvo immediately called emergency services and stopped at the scene to assist the couple. Both Mr McElroy and Ms Sheppard died at the scene. When police arrived they found the couple's 17-month-old baby girl in the backseat of their white MG sedan.
