Latest news with #Busselton
ABC News
07-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Cost of long-awaited Bussell Highway duplication in WA's South West doubles to $170m
The cost of a long-awaited road upgrade pitched as a congestion-buster for tourists heading to Western Australia's South West has blown out to $170 million as the project finally nears completion. The single-lane stretch of Bussell Highway between Capel and Busselton has long been a traffic bottleneck, particularly during holidays and long weekends when tens of thousands of tourists make the 200-kilometre drive south from Perth. Sold as a solution to those frustrations, duplicating the highway has also come at double the initial projected cost, according to figures revealed during budget estimates hearings last week. The major road project has dragged on despite the Cook government promising its completion by the end of 2024. A Main Roads spokesperson said some short-term traffic management may remain in place, but the majority of work was now complete. However, months of delays and many millions in additional spending have left some locals pondering whether it was worth the cash and time. Capel resident Corrie Young said she was unimpressed with the final product. She regularly uses the road to drive in and out of Busselton. "I'm not very happy with it at all," she said. Ms Young said the last few years had been "terrible" as construction on the road had dragged on, leaving many drivers frustrated over lane closures and speed reductions. Others were more positive. "It's fantastic, I can just zip down from the farm to Busselton. It's flat, it's smooth, it's quick," commuter Steve Jones said. In WA's Legislative Council estimates last week, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti blamed the price escalation on rising construction costs around the world. "I am very proud that we have delivered the Bussell Highway duplication," she said. "It was not an election commitment, but I was very determined to get it done, and we did it through negotiations with the Commonwealth." The Bussell Highway duplication is not the only road project that has blown out in WA's south. The cost of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road that opened late last year — now the Wilman Wadandi Highway — swelled to $1.46 billion, more than $600 million over what was initially estimated. Questions also remain around the overall benefit delivered by both projects. Curtin University researcher and former Infrastructure Australia board member Peter Newman said the development, while popular, came at the cost of alternatives. "Both of them are extraordinarily over-designed … in my view, they take up a massive amount of space," Professor Newman said. He believed the money would be better spent on electric public transport links to the South West region. "These [ideas] are not ever getting onto the agenda because of the massive amount of money that is being spent on these kinds of [road] projects."
ABC News
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Spacey Jane 6 Pack 2025
Ahead of their appearance at One Night Stand in Busselton, WA, Spacey Jane stops by triple j Unearthed HQ to drop off their 6 pack! 6 tracks from 6 local emerging artists who they've been luvin' at the minute. The triple j Unearthed veterans are gearing up to release their highly anticipated third album and are headed on a huge national tour (with plenty of sold out shows already). Scope out their tour dates below and hit play above to hear their picks and why they love them! Australian artists getting around Australian artists? Ya love to see it.
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Mundella workers say they're owed superannuation as administrators step in
It took just 18 months for two well-known dairy companies in southern Western Australia to come crashing down into administration after a local family took them over from Chinese ownership. When lead proprietor Hayden Russell took over Mundella Foods and Margaret River Dairy Co it was hailed as a coup for the parochial WA dairy industry. However, some of the employees are now claiming they are missing thousands of dollars in superannuation. Mr Russell reportedly said the financial issues arose due to "short milk supply". Suppliers and employees have told the ABC there was deeper dysfunction at play. Former and current staff describe a "toxic" workplace, "cutting corners", and delays or failure to pay some bills and staff superannuation. The environmental regulator is also investigating Mundella Foods amid reports of alleged dumping of wastewater containing commercial cleaning chemicals at Mundella's yoghurt factory. The ABC has repeatedly attempted to contact Mr Russell for comment and was told via text that it was "business as usual". Mr Russell's ambitions in WA's micro-dairy sector began in 2022 when he purchased The Cheeky Cow Dairy, branding the company as "wanting dairy done differently, dairy done better". In late 2023, the Busselton dairy farmer expanded by purchasing yoghurt producer, Mundella Foods, and Margaret River Dairy Co. from Chinese food giant, Bright Foods Group. Damien Maring worked as a pasteuriser at Mundella's yoghurt factory at Mundijong, on the outskirts of Perth, from 2022 before quitting in 2024. Mr Maring said the factory began to experience regular interruptions to production. "I had to stop making things in the morning because they had run out of buckets, run out of tubs, run out of labels because they just hadn't been ordered," he said. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulations has told the ABC it is actively investigating Mundella Foods. The ABC understands the regulator's investigation was in response to reports of alleged dumping of wastewater contaminated with commercial cleaning chemicals used to disinfect pasteurising equipment. A photo provided to the ABC appears to show water, said to be the alleged wastewater, being released in a nearby paddock. Along with the "toxic" workplace culture, several staff have said they were still owed superannuation. Mr Maring said he was still owed about $2,500 in superannuation, which was yet to be paid by the company in the 2024-'25 financial year. Former maintenance technician Christopher Hobson claims he is also missing about $5,000 in superannuation from Mundella Foods. "I've emailed them maybe three or four times since I left, and now I've proceeded to the ATO to follow up," he said. "I don't think people go to work to not get paid super." Mr Hobson worked at the yoghurt factory from June until his resignation in November last year. He said it was the "worst" workplace culture he had experienced. "I could see something coming," Mr Hobson said. "I didn't think it would actually last this long." The Australian Taxation Office told the ABC it was unable to comment due to obligations under taxpayer confidentiality laws. Administrator of the dairy companies, Mackay Goodwin, is still keeping the business operational. The administration is yet to confirm the number of creditors or how much they are owed. "The administrators are still receiving claims and, importantly, assessing the direction of the business," a Mackay Goodwin spokesperson said in a statement. "It would be difficult to state certain figures in isolation and out of context [due to commercial sensitivities]." Suppliers claim previous, repeated attempts to contact Mr Russell and management about outstanding bills had been met with silence. Redgate Contracting owner Mick Kelly is among those who say they are still owed money. Mr Kelly said he was still owed about $40,000 for a range of services carried out at Mr Russell's dairy farm in Busselton early last year. "That was probably six months ago and nothing." The deteriorating situation at Mundella Foods has saddened employees, who say they had taken pride in building a beloved dairy brand, originally established in 1974. "I hate that," Mr Maring said. "It was the best place ever." The administrator said it was obligated to "gather and investigate" claims of unpaid bills and superannuation, and would report back to creditors in several weeks.
West Australian
23-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
SWFL: Busselton bolster premiership credentials with 31-point win over Bunbury
South West Football League ladder-leaders Busselton bolstered their premiership credentials with a 31-point victory over Bunbury at Payne Park on Sunday. The margin could have been bigger if not for some inaccurate goal-kicking from the Magpies but they were still good enough to come away with a 12.17 (89) to 9.4 (58) victory, their 10th from 11 games this season. Busselton have won seven games in a row since their only defeat of 2025, a three-point loss to Bunbury in the reverse fixture in round four, while beating an opponent by a margin of five goals or greater for the seventh time this season. The Bulldogs, who started their season with seven wins in a row but have since lost consecutive games at their home ground, remain in third two wins adrift of the Magpies and one behind second-placed South Bunbury, though they hold a game in hand over both. On-baller Aidan Austen produced another brilliant performance for the winners, finding the ball at will through the middle and kicking two goals, including the sealer as the rain began to tumble down in the final term. Ryan Ekert's multitude of opportunities in very tough goal-kicking conditions brought only three majors but his dominant display drew the attention of Bunbury's defenders away from fellow forwards Liam Creighton and Mitch Cameron (both two goals). Two of the Bulldogs' up-and-coming talents were among their best, with crafty forward Kye Wright slotting three goals and Rohan Ashworth toiling manfully in his battle with the competition's leading goal kicker Creighton. Bunbury made a fast start in kicking the only three goals of the opening term, including one inside the first minute of the game for recent recruit Oscar Armstrong (two goals) on his league debut for the club. The Magpies had plenty of their own opportunities, but headed for the first break with five behinds, three of which came off the boot of Ekert. But Busselton's full-forward was able to find his radar in the second quarter, opening his side's account by grabbing the ball out of a ruck contest and snapping a major before converting a tough chance from the boundary to kickstart a five-goal quarter. Later in the term, Bailey Sanford took full advantage of a 50m penalty and punched home a long bomb which gave the visitors the lead before captain Ethan Bowman claimed a pack mark and converted his chance after the siren to extend their half-time lead to 10 points. Despite the rain beginning to tumble down in the third term, the two sides exchanged four goals apiece, the last of which came through Bunbury's Baiden Parsons to leave them only 12 points adrift at the last break. Only moments into the last quarter, a brilliant inboard kick from Ky Meers found the hands of Cameron, who defied the conditions to punch home a set shot from beyond the 50-metre arc and make the Bulldogs' comeback task appreciably tougher. Cameron, Ekert and Creighton all missed tough late chances which would have made a certainty of the result as the Magpies had the ball hemmed inside their attacking half until the latter stepped up to find the major opening.
ABC News
23-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Meet the breast cancer survivors on a 'slightly unhinged' but growing support mission
When Carol Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she found solace in her connection online with a woman going through the same treatment. As well as shock, confusion and a search for answers, the diagnosis and new friendship set off a chain of events that led to a "slightly unhinged" development — she joined the "Shitty Titty Committee" in her now home city of Busselton, Western Australia, a movement to make sure women don't struggle alone. Ms Smith was 36 when she discovered a lump on her left breast. "When they sat me down and said, 'You have breast cancer,' my reaction was just shock," she said. "I was just completely numb. Within two weeks, she had her first round of chemotherapy. She turned to the internet to find advice and support from women experiencing the same thing. "I had a lot of friends around me [but] just being able to reassure yourself that this symptom is normal, that this medication is meant to make you feel the way you're feeling, and anything like that that non-cancer people wouldn't be able to understand." Ms Smith threw herself into fundraising after her successful treatment. On the fifth anniversary of her diagnosis in 2023 she held the first Big Boobie Ball in Busselton, which brought local breast cancer survivors and patients together. From there, the Shitty Titty Committee was formed. The support group has grown its membership to about 17 women around the Busselton area. Kate Grainger gave the group its "slightly unhinged" name in 2024. Ms Grainger's breast cancer journey began in 2023 when she travelled from WA's Pilbara region to Busselton Hospital to give birth to her son. There, the expecting mother was given a life-changing diagnosis. "They said, 'You're baby is being born tomorrow' … I started chemo when he was nine days old," she said. She was 1,400 kilometres from home and staying in an Airbnb. But she was overwhelmed by the support of her new community, including another cancer patient who set up a "meal train" of food deliveries. "It was just like giving my heart a hug because I knew I couldn't get up and make my family a meal and I couldn't carry my baby and couldn't hold my two or four-year-old," she said. "I was very unwell for a very long time." Ms Grainger, now 33, had a clear scan in October after long treatment. She said she had turned her attention to helping others via the committee. "I went to my oncologist a couple of months ago and there was this gorgeous woman sitting in the chair having her chemo infusion … she said, 'What's this Shitty Titty Committee?' and I said, 'Oh, it's just a group of us locals who have had the c-bomb dropped on us and we're just stumbling through it together,'" she said. The Cancer Council estimates about 38 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every day in Western Australia. Cancer Council WA supportive care director Melanie Marsh said she was pleased to see country people come together during a "scary" time in their lives. "These support groups in regional areas are just fabulous to be able to bring that face-to-face support for people who need it."
