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ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
What we know about WA's problem-plagued state election, and what's to come
Six months before a state election which went so wrong it triggered a special inquiry to find answers, the man in charge gave a warning. "Electoral bodies find they only attract attention when things go wrong," Robert Kennedy told a parliamentary committee. "As long as everything is sailing along fine, no one is particularly interested in any issues you might be identifying." Just as he had predicted, no one paid much attention at the time. Few noticed Electoral Commissioner Kennedy cautioning there were "additional cost pressures and service improvements that … remain unfunded". But, he said: "If we can confirm our funding … I expect that we will be able to meet our goal and our promise of a better electoral experience in 2025." As the conduct of election showed — with reports of long wait times at polling booths, inexperienced staff and shortages of staff and ballot papers — that isn't what happened. The ABC revealed on Tuesday the decision to outsource recruitment of the temporary election workforce was largely motivated by two factors. First, a sense the running of the 2021 election had damaged the commission's reputation. Few involved in that poll — which Mark McGowan won in a post-COVID landslide — seemed to share the commission's concerns. "There were a few issues that I was aware of here and there, but nothing like the collapse that we saw in 2025," was shadow electoral affairs spokesperson Shane Love's recollection. "I think we got off lightly because of the result," Commissioner Kennedy had told parliament, referring to Labor's huge win. Another issue, he said, was "a lack of resources and internal procedures and processes to properly support our large temporary workforce". That lack of resources was also noted in the commission's decision to outsource recruitment. But the $86 million outsourcing contract was not mentioned at the committee hearing, despite being signed nearly a year prior. Instead, the commissioner warned multiple times funding the election was the biggest issue on his mind at that point, although he acknowledged some increased funding provided "so far". Asked this week if the government had adequately resourced the commission, Premier Roger Cook was clear. "There is nothing we do which would give the Electoral Commission any cause for concern in relation to their finances," he said on Tuesday. "Obviously, we want to know how the money is spent, but that's a conversation which predominantly takes place between treasury themselves and the WA Electoral Commission. "And as has been the custom after every election, when the Electoral Commission has required extra resources, they've been topped up." Budget papers show while the 2017 election came in pretty much on budget, the commission needed its total election year budget increased by 24 per cent (or about $8 million) compared to earlier plans. Last month's budget included a 55 per cent increase — more than $20 million — on earlier predictions. That took the commission's budget to around $57.5 million, with between $19 or $20 million paid under the contract. But a state government spokesperson did not answer questions about whether that money included what the commissioner was concerned about getting in late 2024. "The resourcing of the 2025 state election was a matter included in the terms of reference for the Special Inquiry into the Planning and Delivery of the 2025 WA State General Election," they said in a statement. "The inquirer's report will be tabled in parliament next month." The electoral commissioner's comments to the committee — and particularly his warning that few paid attention to issues raised when things were going fine — could suggest he did feel some level of concern around finances. Understanding whether that was the case will be a critical question for the special inquiry to answer, if it is to have even the chance of avoiding a similarly problematic election in the future. Of course, that's not to say other, more direct changes, won't help. "A new acting commissioner and acting deputy commissioner have been appointed, both of whom are already reviewing the current practices, processes and culture of the WA Electoral Commission," was the assurance provided by Electoral Affairs Minister David Michael during the week. "The government will formally respond to recommendations within the special inquiry report when it is tabled in parliament and publicly released." That is not expected to be until mid-August at the earliest when parliament next sits. Later in the year, after local government elections have been run in October, the acting commissioner Dennis O'Reilly has also indicated the recruitment contract could be reconsidered. "As good contract managers, we will be sitting down to see what is working and what is not. Part of that process will also involve looking at what the future looks like with PERSOLKELLY," he told parliament. "I would not want to pre-empt anything, but as a good contract manager, I think it is important to sit down and have those discussions." Whatever changes eventuate, they are unlikely to have much of an impact on the culture of the commission, which could be an even more important factor. Any issues within the organisation clearly must be addressed before the next state election in 2029. But that focus cannot allow the state government to be let of the hook if there is found to be any undue external pressure on the commission. Nobody expects any part of government to be given a blank cheque. But it would be hard to justify fiscal restraint, for one of the agencies responsible for such a fundamental part of democracy to be deprived of a fraction of the state's $2.4 billion surplus last year.
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Perth Now
Innovative lifestyle village opens in Melville
A bold new chapter in inclusive living has begun in WA, with the official opening of Ilios Village in Alfred Cove — the first of five innovative lifestyle villages. Designed for people living with disability, Ilios Village is far more than just accommodation. It's a vibrant, community-minded environment complete with shared spaces such as a cafe, wine room, BBQ area and lounge — all aimed at supporting independence and belonging, with luxury touches throughout. Your local paper, whenever you want it. There was a full house at last Wednesday's launch, including dignitaries, advocates and community leaders such as former premier Mark McGowan and City of Melville mayor Katie Mair. Guests were among the first to step foot into the luxury facility developed by Utano Care, which redefines expectations for supported living. Matt Moore, Dyan Moore, former WA Premier Mark McGowan, Crest Capital Asia representatives Gayle and Clare Chan official open Ilios Village Alfred Cove on Wednesday June 4, 2025. Credit: Supplied Each Ilios Village features exclusive specialist disability accommodation concierge services, crafted to elevate quality of life. These go beyond traditional care models, offering a variety of personalised support to help residents enjoy their surroundings, connect with others, and pursue their personal goals. Ms Mair praised the initiative and its alignment with the southern suburbs' city's broader vision for inclusion. 'The provision of inclusive service places and facilities is a key objective of the city,' she said. 'We believe that a community that recognises and promotes its diversity and supports the participation and inclusion of all its members makes for a richer community life and a positive contribution to social justice.' Bedroom at Ilios Village, Alfred Cove Credit: Supplied Utano Care chief executive John Grohovaz, who has led the vision from the ground up, said Ilios was built on the belief that people with disabilities deserve more than a roof over their heads — they deserve a place to live their best life. Mr McGowan, who supported the concept in its early stages, described the launch as a landmark moment for inclusive living in WA. With other Ilios Villages to follow — including Midland and Bentley — this model of lifestyle living is seen as redefining the future of disability care across the State.
ABC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Ashes pre-sale leaves fans frustrated despite record day of ticket sales for Cricket Australia
The pre-sale for Ashes tickets has been beset by technical difficulties, with fans around the country having to wait in queues of tens of thousands — multiple times. Cricket Australia's "priority pre-sale" for its Summer of Cricket — which includes the Australia vs England men's Ashes series, as well as other international ODIs and T20s — began on Tuesday morning. The release was staggered from 10am AEST to 4pm AEST on its authorised ticketing agency Ticketek AU, with on-sale times varying depending on the match venue, to manage what it said was the "expected demand and load on the ticketing systems". It was not, however, categorised by the type of game, format or series. So, for instance, Queensland sales opened at 11am. This included tickets for every game in five stadiums across the state from Mackay to the Gold Coast. After waiting in the queue for hours, some patrons then said they were booted out of the transaction page and put at the back of the line. "Was just in the queue at 20,000 and stuffed out and now I'm 195,000," a comment from Mark McGowan on a Cricket Australia Facebook post read. "I sat there for 2 hours, bought the tickets and then it put me back in a queue of 200,000," said Jenny Paratz. "Ticketek AU wouldn't let me purchase Ashes tickets, then sent me to the back of the queue and now there's 187,000 people in front of me," Declan Fay posted on X. Fans signed up to pre-sale access were also sent a "unique password" via email ahead of sale open time on Tuesday, but were put in the same queue as customers without a password. The first matches up for sale were Men's and Women's T20 and ODI matches scheduled against India to be played in Canberra and Hobart. Following that, at 11am AEST, all matches scheduled for stadiums in Queensland went up for sale, including the day-night Ashes match. Matches in South Australia and the Northern Territory were available to purchase from 1pm ACST. The remaining matches, in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, came online to buy at 2pm AEST, 3pm AEST and 4pm AEST respectively. In total, 26 fixtures went up for pre-sale on June 3. Some were frustrated that tickets to the Ashes, one of the most widely watched Test series in Australia, were not sold independently. Other commonly reported issues were the Ticketek website not allowing for more than one ticket to be selected, and invalidating transactions after payment details were entered. That was despite Cricket Australia telling users in pre-sale promotional emails that up to nine tickets could be bought per sale. "Each code will allow you to purchase up to 9 tickets per match day … should you require more than 9 tickets for a match we suggest you have multiple people register for the priority pre-sale and purchase directly online so you do not miss out, noting it is unlikely you will get seats together," one email read. A customer complaint on the Cricket Australia Instagram page called the sale process frustrating. "Trying to buy tickets today for the Ashes has been one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in years. If I hadn't already spent several thousand in accommodation I would give up," Andrew Kempe said. "I'm in my third queue for tickets for myself and my son. Every time it says not enough tickets available." A spokesperson for Ticketek told the ABC in a statement that Tuesday's sales had gone smoothly. "We recognise that when we have high-demand events with limited inventory, that some fans will miss out and will be disappointed." Cricket Australia said it recorded its highest individual day of ticket sales in history, selling more than 220,000 tickets on Tuesday. The previous record of tickets sold in a single day for Cricket Australia was 111,741 during the 2017/18 pre-sale. That record was broken in just 5 hours this year. "To surpass our previous ticket sales record even before NSW and WA tickets had gone on sale is a remarkable achievement," Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said. "I would urge those who haven't already bought their tickets to do so now as we expect allocations to be exhausted for some days." Cricket Australia confirmed to the ABC that some tickets were still available on pre-sale and the normal allocation for general sale, which starts on June 13. It was not clear what the exact numbers of tickets allocated to each round of sale were. The practice of ticket scalping, where tickets are bought from an authorised selling site to later be resold for profit, has been on the rise since last year. That sometimes leads to genuine buyers being unable to purchase tickets, even minutes after they go on sale, because internet bots buy up tickets en masse much faster than a human could. It is an issue often seen as impacting music event sales. Ticketek claimed more than 1 million fans swarmed its site and bought more than 100,000 tickets to the Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast shows "in a matter of hours" last year during DJ Fred again..'s tour. Scalping was also rampant during Taylor Swift's Eras tour ticket sales in Australia. Ticketek said its point-of-sale system was designed to withstand bots. "We encourage all customers not to use multiple browsers when trying to access tickets," a spokesperson said. "Our systems are designed to prevent and block access from bots, and customers attempting to access the site with multiple browsers may be flagged by our bot prevention service."
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Shelley Payne ends term as WA Labor MLC
My time as a member of the Legislative Council came to an end on May 21. It's been an honour to serve you as a member for the Agricultural Region during the last four years. It's been a busy job, but one I've thoroughly enjoyed. It was with great pride that I was able to establish the first WA Labor electorate office in Esperance in more than 30 years when former Premier Mark McGowan officially opened my office in 2021. I'm grateful to have met so many wonderful and hardworking people across our electorate during this time, listening to your concerns, and advocating for the needs of the many communities across the region. I am thankful to the many volunteers I've met that keep our communities safe and keep all our community groups running. Without you all, our communities wouldn't be what they are. As one of the few women to have had the pleasure of representing this region, it has been an absolute privilege to advocate for women, seniors, our First Nations people and those doing it tough. Our grant funding has supported many local sports clubs including new night lights at Esperance and Ports football clubs, Beach Volleyball Club and Esperance Kart Club. I'm excited to see there is new funding on the way for artificial turf at the hockey club. Our State-run Lotterywest has been a great help with funding for infrastructure upgrades at Esperance Goldfields Surf Lifesaving Club, funding to help Esperance Civic Centre bring more shows to town, and funding to help Esperance Care Services, Esperance Crisis Accommodation, Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Esperance Mechanical Restoration Group and many more. We've seen some wonderful new bike paths constructed across town, in partnership with the Shire of Esperance, thanks to the WA Bicycle Network Grants Program. Other local infrastructure projects that I was happy to see completed were the new Tafe building and the new jetty at Bandy Creek. I'm looking forward to the completion of the new Taylor Street jetty. It's been great to see the benefits of our Regional Economic Development grants awarded to local businesses to help with our booming tourism industry, such as Lucky Bay Brewery, Esperance Distillery and Bread Local. We've also helped local businesses such as Esperance Smash Repairs, Bedford Harbour Engineering, and Drake-Brockman Building and Construction. Our animal welfare grants have helped Lori-Ann and Colin to set up the new Esperance Wildlife Hospital, and Lynn at Roo Haven. It has been fantastic to see the implementation our nation-leading Plan for Plastics aimed at removing single-use plastics. We've also seen the implementation of our Containers for Change program which has saved more than three billion containers from landfill, with more than $12 million donated to schools, charities and community groups. I've done lots of driving across Esperance, the Great Southern and the Wheatbelt during the past four years, and had many trips to Perth for parliamentary sittings. Being on the road a lot, I am so thankful we've been able to invest more than $1 billion into regional road safety upgrades, with more than 10,000km completed already. This investment has been crucial to making our regional roads safer. We've seen the installation of four new electric vehicle chargers in town thanks to our State Government-run entity Horizon Power, and the completion of our EV Network, Australia's longest EV network. I've been delighted to see local residents experience the benefits of the introduction of the Regional Airfares Cap helping to connect those in the regions to Perth. We've also delivered a new Esperance bus service and reduced the prices of TransWA bus fares. Please use the local bus service so we can keep it operating. It is free for seniors with a seniors card. Attending medical appointments in the city is costly and it has been so good to see more Patient Assisted Travel Scheme funding, with increases to the overnight accommodation rate and per kilometre travel rebate. We've helped out seniors with the $400 Seniors' Safety and Security Rebate and we've announced our second increase to the Regional Pensioner Travel card — to $775 on July 1. I was pleased to be able to distribute an Esperance Seniors Directory to every senior in Esperance. We've delivered $2100 in electricity rebates to every household. I know this has made a big difference to help with the cost of living. We all know how expensive it is to keep up with school expenses, so I'm happy to see that we are delivering the second round of the Student Assistance Payment, giving another $150 to every kindy or pre-primary school student and $250 to primary and secondary school students. Along with the Country Week Assistance payment of $500 for Esperance students, this extra funding should really help. I look forward to the work that will soon get under way for planning of the new Esperance Senior High School. Further supporting those in need, we've delivered the rent relief program, slashed stamp duty for first-homebuyers, and expanded the school breakfast program to five days a week, in partnership with Foodbank. We've also invested significantly in support for mental health and domestic violence prevention. Our Government has achieved a lot this past term, making the biggest investment into regional WA than any other government in history. We've achieved a lot in Parliament, too, passing more than 140 pieces of legislation during the term, including making important legislative changes to modernise our abortion laws. With WA Labor elected for a third term, we are able to continue some of our great work supporting communities across WA. Particularly, I am pleased we can continue our investment into regional road safety upgrades, and continue the regional airfares cap, helping to connect regional people to the city. I wish everyone and their families all the best and look forward to seeing you around town.
Perth Now
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Star photographer to join judges in Subi Photographic Award
A renowned Australian photographer who has captured portraits of Mark McGowan and Julie Bishop is one of the judges for this year's City of Subiaco's Photographic Award. Stef King is a multi-award winning portrait and advertising photographer who has made a name for herself with evocative portraits of Australian politicians, celebrities and athletes. She's rapt to be involved for the first time especially given the addition of two new categories — people and portraits, and nature. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'Taking portraits for me is like having a conversation with people, and since moving into Subi I've been privileged to meet and photograph many people — and create some wonderful images along the way,' Ms King said. Despite her credentials — having also worked on campaigns for Disney and Nikon — Ms King's advice to entrants was to keep their submission highly personal. 'Enter work that you love, not what you think other people will love. Go with your gut and enter work that is interesting to your own unique point of view — it's those unique ideas or angles that will catch a judge's attention,' Ms King added. More than $5000 is available for the winners of the nine categories, which include a youth award and one for children, as well as a category encouraging AI. There is also a category specifically for residents of the City of Subiaco. Subiaco mayor David McMullen said entries would remain open until June 8 and votes for the people's choice award can be made when all finalists' works are displayed at the Subiaco Library from August 4. 'The two new categories in the award this year offer even more opportunities for local creatives to get involved, so I'd highly encourage everyone to give it a go and send in your photographs,' he said. For more information, visit the City of Subiaco's website here.
