Search called off for 'missing' swimmer

Surf lifesavers search for a missing man off Trigg beach. Picture: Travis Walton. Source: PerthNow

Surf lifesavers search for a missing man off Trigg beach. Picture: Travis Walton. Source: PerthNow

THE search for a swimmer initially feared missing off Trigg Beach has been suspended after no firm reports emerged of a missing person.

Police and surf lifesavers had been searching for more than three hours after a beach inspector saw a man waving for assistance at about 11.30am but could not find him later.

Helicopters, boats and jet skis were used in the search and the beach was cleared to see if there was any unclaimed personal property on the shore.

There were further concerns after Surf Life Saving WA reported a 1.5-metre hammerhead shark 300m off the beach at about 1.50pm.

Police say they do not know for certain, but it is possible the man may have made his way back to the beach unassisted.

Members of the public who know of loved ones who may have been swimming and not returned home are asked to call police on 131 444.

Hail pounds Perth suburbs

Hail falls on a garden in Mullaloo. Picture: Jurek Wsolak. Source: PerthNow

NEARLY 2cm of hail fell in Joondalup last night in the space of half an hour as a wild thunderstorm swept over the Perth metropolitan area.

A severe thunderstorm warning was initially issued last night for people near the Perth metropolitan area, York, Dalwallinu and Southern Cross but was subsequently cancelled.

In a statement issued last night, FESA said 1.5cm of hail was reported at Joondalup between 5.30pm and 6pm, while 26mm rain fell at Perth Airport between 6pm and 7pm.

As of 9.40pm last night the State Emergency Service (SES) had received 15 requests for assistance in the metropolitan area, the majority of which were for the Kalamunda area with only minor damage reported.

Perth can expect a pleasant day today with a warm top of 27C expected.

However, come Wednesday another storm is tipped to lash the city, with showers and winds of up to 50km/h forecast.

If your home has been badly damaged by last night's storm call the SES on 132 500.

Train hits abandoned car on tracks

A TRAIN has hit a stolen car abandoned on rail tracks in Perth's south.

The Toyota Landcruiser was left on the tracks near a railway crossing on Erceg Road in Yangebup early this morning when it was struck by the train at about 4am.

The car, which had been reported stolen from a property in Beeliar, was pushed down an embankment and has been removed.

The train driver was not injured.

Cops attacked, man tasered in pub brawl

TWO men have been charged following a wild brawl outside an Innaloo pub last night which saw one police officer struck a number of times and another spat in the face.

The brawl erupted outside the pub just after 11pm.

Police were already at the hotel when they witnessed a large brawl outside the main doors involving several people who had been ejected from the hotel.

While attempting to break up the fight, a police officer was allegedly struck a number of times by a 26-year-old man.

This man was eventually restrained after being tasered by police.

Another police officer was also allegedly spat on by a 29-year-old man who had returned to the area after being issued with a move on notice.

A 40-year-old man was treated at the scene by St John Ambulance for injuries he received in the incident.

The 26-year-old man has been charged with disorderly behaviour, obstruct police and assault public officer.

He will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on December 11.

A 29-year-old Doubleview man has been charged with assault public officer and will appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on December 7.

Jobs bonanza from Sunday trading

Sunday trading laws have been responsible for creating an extra 1000 jobs. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

RETAIL spending at major Perth shopping centres has increased by up to 6 per cent a month since Sunday trading was introduced in August.

trAnd the new laws have been responsible for creating an extra 1000 jobs.

Figures collated by the Shopping Centre Council of Australia this week show that Sunday is now the busiest day of the week "hour for hour".

The survey of four major Perth suburban shopping centres revealed:

* 20,000 people on average visited each of the four shopping centres on Sundays.

* The average monthly increase in customer traffic for shopping centres was 7 per cent in September and 9 per cent in October, with indications so far that November was likely to see another 9 per cent increase.

* An increase in retail sales averaging between 3 per cent and 6 per cent each month.

* Between 85 and 90 per cent of retailers in shopping centres now open on Sunday.

Shopping Centre Council executive director Milton Cockburn said the survey dispelled "myths" that people would not take advantage of the new 11am-to-5pm shopping hours on Sunday. "Sunday is an incredibly productive day," Mr Cockburn said. "Hour for hour, sales on a Sunday are higher than any other day of the week.

"The opponents to Sunday trading said it wouldn't result in additional visitors to shopping centres, that what you would simply see is the redistribution of traffic from other days of the week. That isn't true.

"What we have seen is an overall increase in business for major suburban shopping centres."

Premier Colin Barnett said the survey also showed Sunday trading had created an estimated 1000 jobs.

"The changes we've made were about giving West Australians the choice and providing convenience, and I think the success of Sunday trading shows that has been embraced by the public of Western Australia," Mr Barnett said.

He said the Liberal-National Government would not proceed with full deregulation of trading hours if re-elected, but it would continue to "progressively work through and try and work through anomalies".

WA Independent Grocers Association president John Cummings said yesterday some IGA stores had lost trade as a result of more competition on Sundays.
 

Four motorcycles involved in Nannup crash

THREE people have suffered serious neck and back injuries after four motorcycles crashed into trees in Nannup this afternoon.

The motorcyclists were riding along Brockman Hwy at about 1.50pm when the accidents happened.

All three victims were thrown from the motorcycles. St John Ambulance is on the way to the scene.

More to come...

'Take wine off hospital menu'

Experts are calling for hospitals to take wine and beer off the menu for new mums. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

HOSPITALS are offering pregnant women wine and beer despite doctors' alarm over the number of "booze babies" born with brain damage.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Chris Baggoley, wants hospitals to take wine off the menu in their maternity wards.

"It seems unbelievable that not long ago patients could smoke in hospital and, of course, this is now totally unacceptable," he told The Sunday Times yesterday.

"With all we now know about the effects of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, we must urge hospitals not to serve alcohol to women in maternity hospitals."

Australian Private Hospitals Association chief executive Michael Roff said most maternity wards offered wine with meals.

"My understanding is that most private obstetric centres would offer wine as part of the menu," he said yesterday.

"While it is on the menu, most women don't order it or take it while they're breastfeeding.

"It's a matter of individual choice."

Mr Roff said that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in babies "requires ongoing consumption of alcohol during pregnancy ... so perhaps a glass of wine the night you're in hospital is not necessarily a bad thing".

But Prof Baggoley insisted total abstinence was the "safest option" for expectant mums, women planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.

"I am very concerned that serving alcohol in maternity wards sends a very bad message to new mothers and I would urge hospitals to discontinue this practice," he said.

The Australian Medical Association warned that mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy could damage their unborn baby's fast-growing brain.

"Hospitals need to know 4that the appropriate amount of alcohol for a pregnant woman is zero," AMA federal president Steve Hambleton told The Sunday Times.

Even well-off women, who could afford a private hospital stay, might have a drinking problem.

"It's the first glass of wine at four o'clock, then another one getting dinner ready, then they open a bottle when their husband gets home," he said.

Liberal MP Sharman Stone, who initiated the federal parliamentary inquiry into fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, said offering booze to pregnant women was like letting patients smoke in hospital.

Health fears for toxic lead town

Views of Esperance and Esperance Port in south east WA. Picture: Ian Munro Source: News Limited

MAJOR flaws have been exposed in WA's biggest environmental contamination clean-up, with hundreds of Esperance homes still polluted with toxic lead.

The Sunday Times can also reveal many businesses remain contaminated because owners refused cleaning, fearing it would cost them customers.

The WA Government yesterday refused to reveal which buildings were decontaminated.

"Due to confidentiality reasons, information about specific locations cannot be provided," Transport Minister Troy Buswell said.

Parents said they had again been failed by the Government, which ran the $27.5 million clean-up that finished in August and was described as a great success by Premier Colin Barnett.

A confidentiality agreement means he cannot be named or he faces jail, but a senior clean-up worker said there were "serious flaws" in the project and spoke out because he fears for "my kids and the kids of Esperance".

He claimed:
* Crews only cleaned half the roof spaces of a local primary school.
* Many businesses did not opt in for decontamination because they did not want the inconvenience.
* Many homeowners did not opt in, so decontamination was piecemeal across town.
* Other buildings were bypassed for cleaning so the project deadline could be met.
* The clean-up was divided into 12 zones around town but only 11 were completed because of budget constraints.

"We were told right from the start this was about public perception," the senior staffer said. "They spent $27 million and they need to spend that again to do the job right. It all came down to dollars and cents.

"If the sampling or cleaning didn't get done by the cut-off date, that was it, bad luck."

More than 100 children recorded high levels of lead in their blood in 2007 after the local port and Magellan Metals showered the town, 725km southeast of Perth, in toxic lead carbonate concentrate dust over a two-year period.

A parliamentary inquiry found the Department of Environment and Conservation, Environmental Protection Authority, Department of Mines, Esperance Port Authority and Magellan Metals all failed the community.

Esperance mining safety campaigner Shaun Maddock said: "This cycle of incompetence and negligence needs to be broken. We need a royal commission into the mining sector."

But Mr Buswell said clean-up guidelines were rigorously adhered to, all agencies and the community were involved, and all premises within the contamination zone were "vigorously" tested though he would not say which ones were decontaminated.

Youths attack man with glass bottle

A 42-year-old man was hit in the face by a bottle after investigating a group of youths creating a disturbance outside his home in Dudley Park at about 8.30pm last night.

The man and his wife heard glass breaking outside their Coodanup Drive home and when they went outside to investigate, one of the youths confronted the man and struck him with a bottle

It is believed the youths had been refused entry into a small party being held at another home in the street.

The man received a deep laceration above his left eyebrow and swelling to his cheekbone. He was treated by St John Ambulance officers.

The offender is described as a 16-year-old male, with a fair complexion and slim build.

He is approximately 178cms tall with short wavy blondish-brown hair and he was wearing a black shirt with white print, blue jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Driver killed after road train rolls

A 34-year-old man has died after the road train he was driving rolled and caught on fire on Great Northern Highway.

At about 10:30pm last night, another truck driver came across the Western Star Prime Mover - B Double Road Train about 40kms south of the Warmun townsite.

DFES and FESA crews from Halls Creek attended and extinguished the fire and found the man in cabin of the truck.

Elderly man on gopher hit by car

An 86-year-old man received serious injuries when he was struck by a car while riding his electric gopher in Gosnells yesterday afternoon.

The pensioner was crossing Main Street at about 2.30pm when a Holden Commodore sedan hit the gopher causing him to fall and hit his head on the road.

He was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for treatment. a 27-year-ol man is assisting police with their investigation.

Possible spinal injuries after motorcycle crash

A 30-year-old Joondalup man was airlifted by the RAC Rescue helicopter suffering possible spinal injuries following a motorcycle accident.

The man was riding an unregistered Yamaha Banshee 700CC Quad bike in sand dunes at about 11.20am when he rode up a sand dune and fell four metres the other side.

He became airborne and landed heavily. The man was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.

Woman thrown from car

A 33-year-old woman suffered head injuries after she fell out of a Toyota Hilux utility being driven along a side road off the Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road.

The incident occurred at about 6.30pm last night, about 30kms east of Geraldton.

It is believed the woman was not wearing a seat belt and the passenger door had not closed properly when the woman fell and hit her head on the road.

She was taken to Geraldton Regional Hospital. Anybody who witnessed any of the accidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 000.

Thousands gather for WA Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day Service at the State War Memorial Kings Park. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

Remembrance Day Service at the State War Memorial Kings Park. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

"On Remembrance Day we think about all the soldiers in all the wars,'' said nine-year-old Zac, who proudly wore medallions from his great-grandfather's time in the Australian army.

He was among an estimated 2000 people who paid tribute to Australia's defence forces at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Kings Park today.

It was one of many ceremonies held to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the hostilities of World War I ended in 1918.

Among the guests in Perth were Defence Minister Stephen Smith, West Australian Governor Malcolm McCusker and WA Premier Colin Barnett.

Addressing the crowd of families gathered in the sunshine, Mr McCusker said it was important to not only remember the fallen soldiers of past wars, but to also honour today's servicemen and women.

"They face peril every day,'' he said.

The Returned and Services League of Australia WA branch president William Gaynor said Remembrance Day was just as important to observe as Anzac Day.

"I think it's a very appropriate day because it recognises the contribution of servicemen and women in all the forces over the past 100 years,'' he told AAP.

"It also commemorates the 100,000 young Aussies who have been killed in wars.''

Mr Gaynor said he was pleased to see so many young children and families at the event.

"It's important for the younger generation to be exposed to this type of commemorative service,'' he said.

"It can't be left to pass through the sands of time.''

Night of violence ends in hospital visits

A MAN was slashed with a machete during a fight at a soccer club in Dianella overnight.

Police were called to the Laugan Venue Soccer Club on Homer Street just after 2am following reports of people fighting at the venue.

"The crowd dispersed once police arrived," a police spokesman said.

"A 23-year-old Joondanna man received a cut hand believed to have been caused by an offender who had been armed with a machete.

"He was taken by St John Ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital where he was interviewed by police.

"At this point he has given limited information to police and inquiries are continuing."

Meanwhile, in a separate incident this morning, four wedding guests required medical treatment after they got into a bloody brawl with another group in the car park of Crown Perth Casino.

The group of about 30 wedding guests arrived by bus in the casino car park about 1.30am when they got into an argument with another group of people.

The incident quickly escalated into a wild brawl with bottles and punches being thrown.

Witnesses to the incident say the car park was littered with broken bottles afterwards and that several parked cars were also damaged in the brawl.

Four of the wedding guests, three men and a woman, required medical treatment at the scene by ambulance.

Their injuries ranged from head injuries, fractured noses and bruising.

It's understood at least two of them were taken to hospital.

No charges have been laid over the incident.

Diesel cancer risk 'worse than asbestos'

Retired Department of Mines inspector Peter Green says diesel fumes could be harming the health of underground miners. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times

THE state's 10,000 underground miners are being put at risk by breathing in a cancer-causing chemical, with a former safety inspector claiming the toxin's impact could "eclipse asbestos" as an industrial killer.

Diesel particulate tiny carbon particles in diesel exhaust that penetrate deep into the lungs is now listed as carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation's cancer research branch.

Underground mine workers are at high risk because the machines they use are diesel-powered, exhaust fumes cannot escape mine shafts naturally, and many companies stand accused of poor ventilation.

While a "top priority" working group chaired by the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy and including the Department of Mines and Petroleum was set up in June 2011, it is not due to finalise guidelines until next year.

This is despite the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists as far back as 2004 warning that regulatory bodies were not treating the issue seriously.

Retired mines safety inspector Peter Green, 64, said the diesel particulate threat was "worse than asbestos", while dust and blast fumes were also poisoning miners.

"Every worker who is underground with diesel machinery is a candidate for cancer from diesel particulate," he said.

Mr Green said vehicle exhaust filters should be mandatory, better ventilation was a must and air testing should not be left in the hands of mining companies.

Former miner-turned-safety campaigner Shaun Maddock, who still coughs up "black stuff and blood" years after working underground, said: "There is a long history of documented evidence showing that the mines department and environment department do not enforce the law.

"That leaves us underground miners with a potential death sentence."

Greens spokesman Robin Chapple said the latest revelations in The Sunday Times' investigation into the dark side of the mining boom reinforced his calls for a royal commission into the resources sector.

The Opposition is also demanding an inquiry and Australian Medical Association WA spokesman David Mountain called for a probe if data showed miners' health was suffering.

The Cancer Council said almost 1000 WA sufferers are diagnosed with lung cancer annually, while a study of 12,000 miners in the US linked diesel fumes to the disease.

Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia president Robert Vojakovic said: "The mines department should clean up its act... because an industry that is making huge profits is killing its workers."

The department says diesel particulate must not top 0.1 milligrams per cubic metre of submicron elemental carbon, all mines must submit their air quality results, and any that exceed the levels are shut down.

So far this year, inspectors shut down two mines in the Goldfields for air quality or ventilation breaches.

"The department recognises that exposure to diesel engine emissions should be minimised, which is why the working group is currently developing a new guideline and why we inspect and audit sites," safety executive director Simon Ridge said.

Barrick Gold now requires underground workers to wear respirators where diesel levels are high.

Power firms hold out on carbon tax

Energy company Synergy has been making a tidy profit by delaying the handover of carbon tax money to the federal government. Source: The Courier-Mail

ENERGY company Synergy is pocketing millions of bonus carbon tax dollars by holding on to the money collected from West Australians for up to a year before handing it over to the Federal Government.

The monopoly electricity retailer already has collected $68 million from households and businesses and will raise an estimated further $150 million before it passes on one cent in tax.

Synergy admitted to The Sunday Times that it had squirrelled away millions of dollars into a bank account accruing interest and won't pay anything to the Gillard Government until mid-next year.

"Yes, the carbon charge amount collected is sitting in an account accruing interest," a spokeswoman for Synergy said.

The state's power supplier, Verve Energy which will collect the tax from Synergy won't pay its first instalment for eight months and will not have to pay its full carbon tax bill until 2014.

As of July 1 this year, Australian polluters were required to pay $23 a tonne of carbon released into the atmosphere.

Verve, which operates several coal and gas-fired power stations, estimates it will have a yearly carbon tax bill of about $220 million. That extra cost will be passed on to Synergy, which has already started applying the extra impost on WA families and businesses.

A Synergy spokeswoman revealed $51 million had already been billed with a further $17 million in the pipeline.

Synergy admits it is unsure how much money it will eventually hand over to Verve and other suppliers.

"Any interest generated in the process of collecting the carbon charge amount that is not used to acquit the final invoices from suppliers will be used to reduce the amount taxpayers spend to subsidise the cost of generating and transporting electricity in WA," Synergy said.

Verve's manager of corporate relations, Peter Winner, said yesterday the company would not need to pay all of its carbon tax bill until 2014.

"Verve Energy is required to pay 75 per cent of its total carbon liability on June 15, 2013, and the remaining 25 per cent in February, 2014," he said.

Synergy has also revealed it has spent $140,000 working out how much to slug West Australians for its carbon tax imposts.

At the Barnett Government's insistence, power bills sent out by Synergy next year will show how much carbon tax has cost.

"We have set up our system to manage the collection (of money) and from January 2013 we'll be able to provide a clear indication on individual bills outlining how much customers will need to pay for the carbon charge as part of their bills," Synergy chief executive officer Trevor James said.

Ear 'bitten off' in priest v priest fight

A former priest allegedly bit the ear of another former priest. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

AN 80-year-old retired priest allegedly bit an ear off another elderly clergyman during a violent brawl over a parking bay in their block of units.

The punch-up broke out on Friday afternoon in a Dianella complex, which houses three retired Catholic priests.

Father Thomas Henry Byrne appeared in court yesterday charged with grievous bodily harm over the incident involving his neighbour, 81-year-old Father Thomas Joseph Cameron Smith.

According to police, after the brawl Father Byrne told Father Smith to pick up an item up on the ground.

It was not until Father Smith returned to his unit that he realised the item he had picked up and put in his pocket was his right ear.

Father Smith wrapped his ear in a tea towel and drove to Dianella Medical Centre, where staff phoned for an ambulance and alerted police. He remained in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital yesterday after surgery to save the ear.

Father Byrne sported a black eye when he appeared in East Perth Magistrates Court yesterday morning where he did not make a plea.

Police prosecutor Chris Lawler said Father Byrne did not have a police record but he had concerns for the safety of the victim if bail was approved.

"They live in the same complex but they are both funded by the Catholic Church," he told the court.

Magistrate Greg Benn imposed strict bail conditions on Father Byrne, including not going within 10m of Father Smith, nor acting in a violent or threatening manner towards him or attempting to communicate with him.

He was released on bail to appear at Perth Magistrates Court on December 7 to allow him to seek further legal advice.

A neighbour living in the Chester Ave complex said he was "shocked" to learn about the fight yesterday.

"I was shocked because we're all in our 80s and retired priests," he said. "It's very quiet, although they are always driving in and out of the complex."