ABC South West

10/09/2026

Drivers with zero alcohol readings during local breath testing have been handed $20 vouchers by Manjimup Police.

Police have 100 of the $20 vouchers to give out to drivers across the Warren region during September.

Sergeant Tyler Winter told the ABC's Chela Williams that officers wanted to reward good behaviour on the roads after an increasing number of fatalities.

"We're just trying to do something different to drive down the road fatality rate and recognise people making the right choices," Sergeant Winter said.

"It's an initiative we'd like to continue subject to public support and funding for the vouchers."

There have been 151 deaths on WA roads so far this year, 84 of which have been in the regions.

10/09/2026

A report has put a price tag of $100 million on a potential new South West Regional Art Gallery in Bunbury, but argues it would provide lasting benefits.

A cost-benefit analysis was presented to the City of Bunbury on Tuesday, as the council investigates the prospect of replacing the current Bunbury Regional Art Gallery with a larger, purpose-built gallery.

The report identified Bicentennial Square as the best potential site and said it would cost about $130 million to build.

The cost-benefit analysis said the existing BRAG (pictured) was too small to allow for increased visitors and larger exhibitions.

A business case has yet to be made, but the council has agreed to consider spending $44,000 on an external capital campaign consultant to canvas options for outside funding.

10/09/2026

Around 5.5 million Australians live with disability, that’s one in every five people who are potentially more vulnerable to increasing fires, floods and storms.

👉 Read more about how to plan for an emergency at abc.net.au/emergency.

10/09/2026

What's making local news today? 📻🗞️

The WA government has committed $1.5 million towards a fast-tracked wildlife hospital in the state's south-west as part of its bird flu response.

The Margaret River Wildlife Hospital will open next month and will be the first facility dedicated to helping native animals in the region.

WA Wildlife and Wildlife Recovery Australia will provide care for sick, injured and orphaned native animals, including threatened species and support wildlife rehabilitation with the ability to respond to wildlife emergencies like bird flu.

WA environment minister Matthew Swinbourn said the funding represented a "significant milestone" in wildlife care.

"[The hospital] will fill a major gap that we have in specialist wildlife veterinary services across the region," he said.

"This facility will also play an important role in strengthening WA's preparedness for wildlife disease outbreaks and the H5N1 bird flu."

WA agriculture minister Jackie Jarvis said the facility will help to safeguard at-risk species while keeping the private sector safe from the deadly strain.

"Private vets are nervous about taking birds because of that risk of transmission," she said.

"Having a dedicated wildlife hospital that's biosecure and can provide an outlet for injured wildlife or birds is incredibly important."

👉Get today's Local News Briefing:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-10/south-west-and-great-southern-wa-local-news-briefing/107136778

09/09/2026

A rare leucistic cockatoo was spotted at a vineyard in Margaret River earlier this week.

Attributes of leucism include the partial loss of all types of pigmentation and generally result in white colouration on the skin, fur, or feathers of animals.

It is often mistaken for albinism but differs because it does not impact pigment cells in the eyes.

Environmental Scientist Sam Rycken said the sighting of the white bird is especially rare.

"In this day and age of social media, you see a lot more reports of rare animals around," he said.

"It's absolutely a rare sight, especially for a threatened species."

The bird has been sighted a number of times in the Margaret River region over the past few years.

Dr Rycken said it was likely the same cockatoo.

"They can easily live over 30 years in the wild," he said.

"They live the same lifespan as a normal-looking bird, but because of their colouring, they might be targeted by raptors."

09/09/2026

A big thank you to everyone who came down and said hi in Augusta!

ABC South West Mornings presenter Chela Williams took the show to the seaside and was joined by special guests - including local viral sensation and drummer Deb 'Spoons' Perry.

Check out Deb rockin' the spoons 👇make sure you turn up the volume!

09/09/2026

Industrial action is set to hit the heart of Western Australia's power grid after talks between unionised staff and management at one of the state's struggling coal mines broke down.

Premier Coal is the main supplier to state-owned power provider Synergy's Muja and Collie power plants, 200km south of Perth.

The mine is owned by Yancoal Australia, which is controlled by Chinese state-backed miner Yankuang Energy Group.

Talks between Chinese-owned Premier Coal and workers have fallen through, leaving industrial action on the cards for WA's coal-mining heartland.

09/09/2026

What's making local news today? 📻🗞️

The WA Police Union (WAPU) says a shortage of rentals for relocating officers is causing a shortfall of staff and increasing pressure on policing operations in Bunbury.

WA Police have confirmed 11 vacancies across various policing roles in Bunbury.

Union spokesperson Simone Taplin said housing was an overwhelming barrier to recruitment in the regional city.

"People are fatigued, people are burning out because they're going to have to do the extra work for those [vacant roles], so the overtime is going to be through the roof and people aren't getting any respite," she said.

"And all because we can't get a house for them."

Ms Taplin called for more housing support for Bunbury officers, including subsidised rent through the Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) program.

A State Government spokesperson said GROH had been withdrawn from Bunbury in the 1980s.

"Noting Bunbury is closer to Perth, has much more substantial private sector capacity to deliver housing and a larger population base than other locations in regional WA," the spokesperson said.

"The provision of GROH to the WA Police Force has been considered on an exceptional basis and limited to the recruitment and retention of ‘specialist’ tenured positions and senior executive appointments within the WA Police Force."

👉Get today's Local News Briefing:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-09/south-west-and-great-southern-wa-local-news-briefing/107132284

08/09/2026

After the fall of Singapore in 1942, nearly 2,500 Commonwealth troops became Japan's prisoners of war on the Malay-Indonesian island of Borneo.

Just six soldiers survived the horrific treatment inflicted by their captors.

The local connections left a particular mark on the small town of Boyup Brook, about 260km south of Perth, which falls silent each year to remember one of the most brutal chapters in Australia's military history.

Bill Beard's last message to his sister June was a note scrawled in the notorious Japanese POW camp, acknowledging his birthday. He died a month before the end of the war.

08/09/2026

Workers at one of the state's only coal mines have voted to take strike action if last-ditch talks with management fall through.

More than 90 per cent of the workforce at Chinese-owned Premier Coal voted to take protected action in a ballot which closed on Monday.

Premier Coal mostly supplies thermal coal to the state-owned Muja and Collie power plants.

Workers are negotiating the final agreement ahead of the closure of the power plants in 2030.

Mining and Energy Union secretary Greg Busson said workers at Premier Coal were asking for better conditions and wages as operations came to a halt.

"This is the last agreement of Premier Coal; they're heading to closure," he said.

"They've got concerns around rosters, and they just want certainty about what their last couple of years at Premier Coal are going to look like."

It is understood the company and union representatives will meet to negotiate on Wednesday morning.

Last week, the state government threw its support behind a merger of Premier and its counterpart, Griffin Coal, in a bid to consolidate private interests in Collie's coal industry and soften the blow to the transitioning workforce.