Synergy overcharged for 15 years, other companies have done similar
By Cason Ho
A $40 million overcharging bungle by WA's largest energy retailer was a result of serious governance failures and other businesses may have also fallen foul according to the state's economic watchdog.
Synergy apologises after overcharging customers $40 million in power bills
By Cason Ho and Nadia Mitsopoulos
More than 170,000 customers have been overcharged a total of $40 million by WA's state-owned energy retailer Synergy since 2009, as its chief executive apologises.
#Utilities #StateandTerritoryGovernment #GovernmentandPolitics #EnergyPolicy #CasonHo #NadiaMitsopoulos
State’s appeal of $2.85 million child abuse payout to set precedent for survivors
By Cason Ho
Less than a decade after the door opened for victims of historic child sexual abuse to seek justice in WA, abuse survivors could be at risk of having that door closed again, writes Cason Ho.
#ChildSexualAbuse #StateandTerritoryGovernment #Courts #CasonHo
They wed amidst the bombs of war-torn Gaza. Now they're hoping for a new start
By Cason Ho
Mohammed Mustafa and Nour Dalloul got married while bombs exploded around them. Now their war-torn love, forged in the emergency rooms of a Gazan hospital, has found a home in Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/gaza-dr-mo-nour-reunite-perth-australia/105858548
#UnrestConflictandWar #HumanInterest #FamilyandRelationships #Refugees #WorldPolitics #CasonHo
Abuse survivor 'mortified' by state's challenge of $2.85m compensation payout
By Cason Ho
An appeal against a $2.85 million compensation payout to a man who suffered child sexual abuse while in state care should be abandoned, a prominent Perth lawyer and the state opposition says.
#StateandTerritoryGovernment #ChildAbuse #SexualOffences #CasonHo
Commissioner rules out charging off-duty sergeant who allegedly choked driver
By Cason Ho
WA's police commissioner rules out reopening a case in which a man alleges he was choked by an off-duty police officer, in front of his daughter, during a fight.
Vendors concerned by low crowds, price crunch at Perth Royal Show
By Cason Ho
Vendors are reporting smaller attendances at this year's Perth Royal Show amid a sharp increase in prices, both for visitors and game providers.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-04/perth-royal-show-vendors-say-crowds-lower-2025/105849896
Police find 'insufficient evidence' to charge officer in alleged choking complaint
By Cason Ho
A man who alleges he was choked by an off-duty police officer in front of his daughter says he has lost trust in the police force.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-01/wa-police-alleged-choking-complaint-fight/105830352
Hundreds of jobs axed as aluminium giant confirms closure of Perth refinery
By Cason Ho
US aluminium giant Alcoa says there is no "sustainable" path to restarting its aluminium refinery in Perth after phasing out production at the facility.
#MiningandMetalsIndustry #BauxiteAluminaandAluminium #CompanyNews #CasonHo
Customers threaten to walk as WA's biggest insurer plugs sale to NSW group
By Cason Ho
The head of Western Australia's biggest insurer says having a Sydney-based owner is the "best path forward" for its customers, but some are threatening to leave if the acquisition goes ahead.
#Insurance #ConsumerProtection #BusinessandIndustryRegulation #Takeovers #CompanyNews #CasonHo
Review to assess whether WA's $60 billion GST slice is fair
By Cason Ho
Western Australia's GST deal, expected to cost the Commonwealth $60 billion by 2029, will form part of a review by the Australian Productivity Commission.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-24/australia-gst-review-under-review-wa-gst-deal/105813372
#Tax #FederalStateIssues #StateandTerritoryGovernment #BusinessEconomicsandFinance #CasonHo
Massive power blackout shuts down Kalgoorlie-Boulder again
By Cason Ho
More than 15,000 homes and businesses were without electricity after the entire town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder lost power.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-24/kalgoorlie-boulder-loses-power-again/105811398
#ElectricityProductionandDistribution #EnergyIndustry #CasonHo
Beseiged WA hospitals to get $500 million boost amid record ramping
By Cason Ho
The WA government announces a $500 million fund to boost health infrastructure in an attempt to improve the beleaguered health system.
Beseiged WA hospitals to get $500 million boost amid record ramping
By Cason Ho
The WA government announces a $500 million fund to boost health infrastructure in an attempt to improve the beleaguered health system.
WA rental protections second-worst in nation, report finds
By Cason Ho
The WA Government shuts down calls to abolish no-grounds evictions, despite a new report finding the state has the second-worst protections for renters in the nation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-23/wa-rental-protections-second-worst-in-nation/105805970
Drug rehab boss to resign over 'mass migration' views
By Cason Ho
The head of a controversial WA drug rehabilitation service says he will resign so he can speak out against "mass migration".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-22/peter-lyndon-james-steps-down-shalom-house-ceo/105801198
How a forgotten village in the city of gold decayed into such squalor
By Cason Ho and Macey Turner
There's an eerie silence in Ninga Mia, a once thriving community on the edge of Kalgoorlie. The Aboriginal reserve is a microcosm of the cycle of displacement endured by many First Nations people.
#HousingPolicy #IndigenousAustralians #Homelessness #Aboriginal #IndigenousPolicy #LocalGovernment #RentalHousing #CasonHo #MaceyTurner
What we know about the Optus outage that resulted in three deaths
By Phoebe Pin and Cason Ho
It's been two days since three people died after a devastating Optus outage caused hundreds of emergency calls to fail, but information about the incident remains scarce.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-20/what-we-know-about-optus-network-outage/105796618
#TelecommunicationsServicesIndustry #AccidentsandEmergencyIncidents #PhoebePin #CasonHo
Submarine agency lobbies Fremantle locals amid protest over defence hub
By Cason Ho
The agency in charge of arming the nation with nuclear submarines takes its self-described first steps towards earning the public's trust with a community meeting in WA, as protesters voice their opposition outside.
#DefenceandNationalSecurity #NuclearIssues #DefenceIndustry #Navy #Communities #CasonHo
Stricter fishing rules flagged as populations collapse along WA coast
By Cason Ho
Prized fish species including dhufish, snapper and red emperor are at severe risk of population collapse along WA's coast, prompting the state government to flag even stricter measures to protect stocks.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-18/stricter-fishing-rules-flagged-in-wa/105789778
#RecreationalFishing #Environment #EnvironmentalPolicy #StateandTerritoryGovernment #CasonHo
