Latest news with #WesternAustralians
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Huge sum workers may save on commute by driving electric car
Electric vehicles are likely to save people $45,000 on their work commute over their working life, according to new research. The study found EVs have less than a quarter of the running costs for the average-length commute compared to a petrol car. The Open Agent research found someone who lived 15km away from their work — which is close to the average distance most people live from their workplace according to Census data — pays $58,000 in petrol over a 42-year career. The cost of charging an electric car over this period and distance — similar to someone travelling from Scarborough to the CBD — is about $13,000. Those driving to work from 30km away (roughly the distance between Ellenbrook to Perth, or Karrinyup to the airport) face a lifetime work commute charge cost of $26,460 with an EV, or $116,100 for petrol. At the other end of the spectrum, those driving from 5km away will pay $4410 to charge an EV, or $19,350 for petrol. The research based the a petrol cost of $1.72 per litre, and an electric cost of 0.042c, which is the standard used by the Australian Taxation Office. But the Motor Trades Association warns though operational savings are undoubtedly cheaper, the study did not consider the full suite of costs associated with an electric vehicle. A Tesla charging site. Credit: Blomst / Pixabay (user Blomst) Chief executive Stephen Moir said EVs were generally much pricier to buy than a standard car and incurred extra insurance costs, while also suffering a much faster drop in value withing a few years of purchase. 'I would agree with this initial assessment that it is cheaper to run an electric vehicle if you are only looking at running the car from the time you turn it on to the time you turn it off,' he said. Mr Moir also questioned the environmental benefits of EVs considering the impact of mining lithium for batteries. However, he said swift advances on technology could soon see lithium batteries replaced with more environmentally friendly options. RAC general manager of external relations Will Golsby said its surveys showed most EV buyers chose to go electric for reasons like convenience and lower running costs, in addition to the environmental benefits. 'Ease of servicing and maintenance, and EVs being cheaper to power are key reasons people are choosing electric or hybrid over petrol or diesel,' he said. 'Hybrids have also become popular for drivers who aren't ready for a full electric vehicle but want the benefits of lower running costs and reduced emissions. 'However more needs to be done to bring down the up-front cost of EVs. We need to see a wider variety of options at lower price points. 'We support the Australian Government's fringe benefit tax exemption for EVs and continue to call for more action to improve EV affordability for Western Australians.' What it costs driving to work. Credit: The West Australian
West Australian
4 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Kimberley pharmacy workers encouraged to train to fill rural GP gap
Local pharmacists are being encouraged to take up subsidised training for a graduate certificate in pharmacy prescribing in an effort to tackle the rural GP shortage. The call from Health Minister Meredith Hammat comes after the State Government announced up to 80 community pharmacists would undergo training to begin diagnosing more ailments from late 2026 in a bid to ease pressure on GPs, expanding a trial that currently allows pharmacists to manage contraceptive pills and diagnose and treat urinary tract infections. Visiting Kimberley Pharmacy Services on Thursday, Ms Hammat said her trip was about liaising with local services to encourage participation. 'We're really keen to ensure that people in regional WA, consider taking part in the graduate certificate training so that they can be a part of the pilot when it rolls out in the second part of next year,' she said. 'We know it can be difficult for people, particularly in regional areas to get access to a GP, so what we want to do is provide more access for Western Australians and more choice so that when people need to get treatment for everyday health conditions, they are able to come and see their community pharmacists.' The training for a graduate certificate in pharmacy prescribing will take six to 12 months to complete and will be delivered by WA universities. Training will also be subsidised up to $12,000 for some participants, according to the Minister. 'One of the really important things that we've also included as part of this program is a commitment in this year's State Budget for $1.26 million to make available subsidies for some of the people that apply to do that training,' Ms Hammat said. A 12-month pilot program will roll out in the second half of 2026, which will also see the scope of practice for community pharmacists expand to include programs to help people quit smoking. Kimberley Pharmacy Services managing partner Hannah Mann said rural pharmacies play a central role in providing healthcare for their communities. 'We want to offer more to our communities and we want to be part of the health services that are available,' she said. 'We see a lot of patients that we have to send to the hospital or to an urgent care clinic to get a prescription, so I think being able to actually offer that full service without having to send patients away who then come back with a prescription anyway is great.' She said the subsidised training would go a long way for rural participants. 'When you're coming from a rural and remote area, training can be a big undertaking,' Ms Mann said. 'You might be taking time off work, organising childcare, travel, needing to pay for airfares to participate in face-to-face training. 'So we really appreciate the State Government and the Health Department's acknowledgement that the cost of the participation if you're from a rural and remote area are substantial, and for recognising that we are a really important part of the health picture in rural and remote areas.' It comes as Broome continues to suffer from a GP shortage, with waiting times for an appointment at the only remaining clinic in town regularly exceeding a month. Ms Hammat said she was aware of the shortage across regional WA and is working with the Federal Government to make GP access more equitable. 'We are regularly talking to the Federal Government about what more they can do to support GPs,' she said. 'They do control a lot of the settings for GPs, both in terms of the new key rebates that are available and some of the things that might impact on internationally trained doctors coming and working in regional areas. 'So we'll continue to advocate for the Federal Government to do as much as we can to make sure there is a strong network of GPs in the State.'
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
What a Perth mum's death tells us about the city's darkest corners
Little is known about the life of Nardia Spice. More is known about the 40-year-old's bleak, violent death in a dog park on Perth's far south-eastern fringe – and there is a wealth of data about the factors that led to it. One of the few things known about her life is that she mothered six children, and was described as a fundamentally sweet person. On the steps of Western Australia's Supreme Court – where the last of those responsible for her death in the foothills suburb of Byford was sentenced on Thursday – her father had described her as 'kind'. 'She went through a lot,' he said. 'We tried to be there for her.' Another friend described her as 'a very nice person … a 'mum' to a lot of us.' Even the person eventually convicted over helping cover up her murder called her 'kind and generous'. So how did she end up attacking a woman who'd taken her in from the streets, pushing her over, tying her hands, spitting at her, humiliating her, threatening her then stealing her car? Spice was one of the one in five Western Australians to use illicit drugs: the methylamphetamine deemed 'very easy' to buy in Perth in multiple forms, as well as large quantities of cannabis. Her friends were also among these users, and just before her death, she and housemate Jesse Desmond Jones got kicked out of the house they were staying in. Jones' lawyer Chris Townsend said they'd only known each other a month when they found themselves two of the 4000 frequent drug users in WA experiencing homelessness. Jesse Jones being a trans person placed her at even higher risk. But someone took them in – Eve Marsh, another drug user, whose childhood was marred with trauma and disconnection. She'd turned to her latest partner Zachariah Brough for comfort, but she soon realised he too had a history of domestic violence. Regardless, Spice and Jones moved into Marsh's home in Brookdale with her and her now ex-boyfriend until they found somewhere else to live. In this south-eastern suburb, the average household income in 2021 was about $1300 - about $400 less than Perth's average. About a third of the population is unemployed. Despite the lifeline, despite being this person thought of as kind, nice and motherly, Spice's desperation and addiction took over. She became one of the 70 per cent of drug users appearing before the WA courts who have become violent. She and Jesse Jones wanted to head to the eastern states, but lacked money and transport. Spice turned on Eve Marsh, who had taken them in, and attacked her in the manner described above. All the while, Marsh alleged, her former partner Zachariah Brough watched on and laughed. Spice and Jones then stole Marsh's Ford Territory and drove away to their planned new future away from Perth. But another fate was being decided for Spice. A living-room revenge plot Marsh phoned Brough and told him about the theft. Marsh and Brough phoned a friend of a friend, Ziggy Vanags, who sat with them in the Brookdale living room and discussed what to do about her betrayal. What made Brough madder than the attack on his ex was that Spice had stolen his tools along with the car, it was revealed in court. 'Together you formed a common intention to find Ms Spice and recover those items, during which it was agreed that Ms Spice would be seriously assaulted,' Justice Amanda Forrester said in her sentencing remarks. On September 22, 2022, Brough set the trap. 'You phoned Ms Spice and left a voicemail saying that you had been able to get some drugs and were heading to see her,' court documents said. Marsh later conceded she knew Nardia Spice had feelings for Brough, setting up Spice to become one of the at least 31 per cent of West Australians who were in 2022 willing to engage in risky behaviour such as exchanging sex for money or drugs. Nardia Spice and Jesse Jones met Brough and drove to park in the dirt beside a Byford dog park. Vanags and Marsh tailed them. Jones stayed in the stolen car, eventually falling asleep as Spice and Brough had sex in his Holden Commodore. Just after 4am, Spice too began to fall asleep as text messages flew. 'Be ready in 20. Okay. Going to hit her,' Brough messaged. 'They asleep?,' Marsh wrote. 'Not Nadia [sic]. Almost, though,' he replied. Sometime between 4.25 and 4.39 am, the judge's sentencing remarks said, Brough got out of the Commodore, grabbed a pipe wrench from the back of the car and struck Spice to the back of her head once. As her tiny 49-kilogram body crumpled to the ground she became one of more than half of the homeless West Australians who fall victim to violence, with the drug-addicted also 1.8 times more likely to be seriously assaulted. Over the next few hours, Brough tied her hands together, wrapped her in a blanket and with the help of Vanags, put her in the boot of the Commodore. Jones woke up, and she alleged she was told to help them hide their crime. The group drove Spice to Perth's scrubby bushland, and dumped her in isolated bush in Whitby, about 10 minutes' drive further south. Prosecutors were unable to say whether she was still alive at the time. Bleach, fire and the weir The attempted cover-up took days. They returned to the scene where Bough used bleach to erase any sign of himself on her body, and moved her again deeper into forest in the southern hills of Jarrahdale. They cleaned the wrench and threw their bag into Mundaring Weir in the northern hills. They torched the stolen car, poured more bleach on bloodstains in the dirt car park and even rehomed Spice's dog. But about 10 days later Spice's former housemate reported her missing. She became one of the 1800 missing persons reports lodged annually in WA. The actual figure is again likely much higher, as people who live in lower socio-economic areas and suffering from drug addiction often go missing unreported. On October 7, her shallow grave was found. She became one of 42 homicides in Western Australia in 2022, and one of the 30 per cent of them that were women. Tales of tragedy The four responsible for Nardia Spice's death have their own troubling stories. Vanag's childhood was marked by transience, unpredictability, abandonment and his mother's own drug abuse. He had very few friends, and used drugs as a way to make connections. Brough started using methylamphetamine at just 17, and had a family life he claimed was marked by mental abuse. He was estranged from his father when young, was unemployed, and in and out of jail for petty crimes. He physically and mentally abused Eve Marsh, a young mother herself and desperate to create a stable family after her father was jailed while she was young. Marsh told the court her grandmother used to take her to visit her own father in prison. Now, the same grandmother takes Marsh's own daughter to see her in prison. Jesse Jones also had a life marked by drug abuse and homelessness. She struggled with suicidal ideation for most of her life, and was a prolific cannabis smoker. Despite having transitioned genders she spent more than 800 days in the male-only Hakea Prison while awaiting Thursday's sentencing. Loading 'Everybody in this matter has had, quite frankly, a quite tragic upbringing,' Justice Forrester said in giving Jones a two-year suspended sentence on top of the time already served. She also sentenced Eve Marsh to eight years' jail, with eligibility for parole in six. Earlier this month, Ziggy Vanag was sentenced to seven years' jail, eligible for parole in five. Brough was in March sentenced to life imprisonment. The cycle continues, with one of Spice's six children in jail. The whereabouts of the other five are unknown.
The Age
5 days ago
- The Age
What a Perth mum's death tells us about the city's darkest corners
Little is known about the life of Nardia Spice. More is known about the 40-year-old's bleak, violent death in a dog park on Perth's far south-eastern fringe – and there is a wealth of data about the factors that led to it. One of the few things known about her life is that she mothered six children, and was described as a fundamentally sweet person. On the steps of Western Australia's Supreme Court – where the last of those responsible for her death in the foothills suburb of Byford was sentenced on Thursday – her father had described her as 'kind'. 'She went through a lot,' he said. 'We tried to be there for her.' Another friend described her as 'a very nice person … a 'mum' to a lot of us.' Even the person eventually convicted over helping cover up her murder called her 'kind and generous'. So how did she end up attacking a woman who'd taken her in from the streets, pushing her over, tying her hands, spitting at her, humiliating her, threatening her then stealing her car? Spice was one of the one in five Western Australians to use illicit drugs: the methylamphetamine deemed 'very easy' to buy in Perth in multiple forms, as well as large quantities of cannabis. Her friends were also among these users, and just before her death, she and housemate Jesse Desmond Jones got kicked out of the house they were staying in. Jones' lawyer Chris Townsend said they'd only known each other a month when they found themselves two of the 4000 frequent drug users in WA experiencing homelessness. Jesse Jones being a trans person placed her at even higher risk. But someone took them in – Eve Marsh, another drug user, whose childhood was marred with trauma and disconnection. She'd turned to her latest partner Zachariah Brough for comfort, but she soon realised he too had a history of domestic violence. Regardless, Spice and Jones moved into Marsh's home in Brookdale with her and her now ex-boyfriend until they found somewhere else to live. In this south-eastern suburb, the average household income in 2021 was about $1300 - about $400 less than Perth's average. About a third of the population is unemployed. Despite the lifeline, despite being this person thought of as kind, nice and motherly, Spice's desperation and addiction took over. She became one of the 70 per cent of drug users appearing before the WA courts who have become violent. She and Jesse Jones wanted to head to the eastern states, but lacked money and transport. Spice turned on Eve Marsh, who had taken them in, and attacked her in the manner described above. All the while, Marsh alleged, her former partner Zachariah Brough watched on and laughed. Spice and Jones then stole Marsh's Ford Territory and drove away to their planned new future away from Perth. But another fate was being decided for Spice. A living-room revenge plot Marsh phoned Brough and told him about the theft. Marsh and Brough phoned a friend of a friend, Ziggy Vanags, who sat with them in the Brookdale living room and discussed what to do about her betrayal. What made Brough madder than the attack on his ex was that Spice had stolen his tools along with the car, it was revealed in court. 'Together you formed a common intention to find Ms Spice and recover those items, during which it was agreed that Ms Spice would be seriously assaulted,' Justice Amanda Forrester said in her sentencing remarks. On September 22, 2022, Brough set the trap. 'You phoned Ms Spice and left a voicemail saying that you had been able to get some drugs and were heading to see her,' court documents said. Marsh later conceded she knew Nardia Spice had feelings for Brough, setting up Spice to become one of the at least 31 per cent of West Australians who were in 2022 willing to engage in risky behaviour such as exchanging sex for money or drugs. Nardia Spice and Jesse Jones met Brough and drove to park in the dirt beside a Byford dog park. Vanags and Marsh tailed them. Jones stayed in the stolen car, eventually falling asleep as Spice and Brough had sex in his Holden Commodore. Just after 4am, Spice too began to fall asleep as text messages flew. 'Be ready in 20. Okay. Going to hit her,' Brough messaged. 'They asleep?,' Marsh wrote. 'Not Nadia [sic]. Almost, though,' he replied. Sometime between 4.25 and 4.39 am, the judge's sentencing remarks said, Brough got out of the Commodore, grabbed a pipe wrench from the back of the car and struck Spice to the back of her head once. As her tiny 49-kilogram body crumpled to the ground she became one of more than half of the homeless West Australians who fall victim to violence, with the drug-addicted also 1.8 times more likely to be seriously assaulted. Over the next few hours, Brough tied her hands together, wrapped her in a blanket and with the help of Vanags, put her in the boot of the Commodore. Jones woke up, and she alleged she was told to help them hide their crime. The group drove Spice to Perth's scrubby bushland, and dumped her in isolated bush in Whitby, about 10 minutes' drive further south. Prosecutors were unable to say whether she was still alive at the time. Bleach, fire and the weir The attempted cover-up took days. They returned to the scene where Bough used bleach to erase any sign of himself on her body, and moved her again deeper into forest in the southern hills of Jarrahdale. They cleaned the wrench and threw their bag into Mundaring Weir in the northern hills. They torched the stolen car, poured more bleach on bloodstains in the dirt car park and even rehomed Spice's dog. But about 10 days later Spice's former housemate reported her missing. She became one of the 1800 missing persons reports lodged annually in WA. The actual figure is again likely much higher, as people who live in lower socio-economic areas and suffering from drug addiction often go missing unreported. On October 7, her shallow grave was found. She became one of 42 homicides in Western Australia in 2022, and one of the 30 per cent of them that were women. Tales of tragedy The four responsible for Nardia Spice's death have their own troubling stories. Vanag's childhood was marked by transience, unpredictability, abandonment and his mother's own drug abuse. He had very few friends, and used drugs as a way to make connections. Brough started using methylamphetamine at just 17, and had a family life he claimed was marked by mental abuse. He was estranged from his father when young, was unemployed, and in and out of jail for petty crimes. He physically and mentally abused Eve Marsh, a young mother herself and desperate to create a stable family after her father was jailed while she was young. Marsh told the court her grandmother used to take her to visit her own father in prison. Now, the same grandmother takes Marsh's own daughter to see her in prison. Jesse Jones also had a life marked by drug abuse and homelessness. She struggled with suicidal ideation for most of her life, and was a prolific cannabis smoker. Despite having transitioned genders she spent more than 800 days in the male-only Hakea Prison while awaiting Thursday's sentencing. Loading 'Everybody in this matter has had, quite frankly, a quite tragic upbringing,' Justice Forrester said in giving Jones a two-year suspended sentence on top of the time already served. She also sentenced Eve Marsh to eight years' jail, with eligibility for parole in six. Earlier this month, Ziggy Vanag was sentenced to seven years' jail, eligible for parole in five. Brough was in March sentenced to life imprisonment. The cycle continues, with one of Spice's six children in jail. The whereabouts of the other five are unknown.
West Australian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Adam Hort says Labor's budget boost to hire new staff for GPS tracking an admission the scheme failed
The Opposition has seized on a $23 million funding boost for GPS tracking of family violence offenders as proof the scheme was previously under-resourced. The State Government insists the cash injection — to hire an extra 38 staff — is nothing unusual. But Shadow Police Minister Adam Hort called it an admission of failure. 'We had leaked letters, we had all sorts of information coming out from a system that was stretched, saying that this monitoring was not working and time and again Roger Cook said that the system was working,' he said. 'Now what we've seen is an admission by this Government in the Budget. They can spin it all they like, the Budget doesn't lie. He called it a 'final win' for the community, but said the Government should have 'come clean' in April when it was revealed magistrates in Bunbury and Albany were told GPS monitors could not be used in regional WA — where 41 of 107 repeat offenders were being monitored A leaked letter from the Justice Department to WA Police warned that community corrections would stop recommending electronic monitoring for regional offenders, due to an 'unacceptable risk' when equipment failed. At the time, Premier Roger Cook blamed 'technical limitations' and 'black spots' and denied there was any resourcing shortfall. On Thursday, Minister for Child Protection Jessica Stojkovski said the staffing boost was part of normal Budget processes. 'Whenever we bring in new programs, as they develop we look at how we adapt and fund them to meet the need that we're seeing,' she said. 'The two year trial was only limited to certain areas and it didn't include the whole State. 'So rolling the program out across the State, obviously, we were going to have some learnings, even as we started to roll it out. It's not even a 12 month old program.' Laws mandating the installation of GPS monitors on repeat domestic violence offenders came into effect last December. Ms Stojkovski denied victims of domestic violence were left unprotected, if GPS monitors didn't work. 'Western Australians have some of the strongest legislation in the country to protect victim survivors of domestic violence,' she said. 'This has been part of what we're doing, it is not the whole of what we're doing. 'Electronic monitoring was a bail condition, it was only ever required on a perpetrator if they had met other bail conditions so they were being allowed out on bail and were deemed to not be a risk to the community of to their victim survivor.'
