ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt

02/08/2025

Accumulating sand on Port Gregory's coastline has left the town's only jetty landlocked.

It's the opposite problem to the coastal erosion hitting neighbouring communities along the coast.

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Sand surrounds the jetty in the small beachside community of Port Gregory on WA's Mid West coast and locals are calling on the government to intervene.

02/08/2025

Once a hub for work and leisure, the jetty in the small coastal town of Port Gregory is now a marooned platform on the beach.

Increasing amounts of sands have surrounded the jetty on Western Australia's mid-west coast, cutting off access for fishers and swimmers.

📝 Jo Prendergast for ABC Landline
🎥🎞️ Chris Lewis
🎬 Tim Carrier

01/08/2025

WA has recorded its highest ever ambulance ramping tally in July, with patients spending a total of more than 7,000 hours waiting to be admitted to public emergency departments.

A senior emergency department physician said the high ramping figures can't be pinned on a surge in flu cases, rather the problems were structural.

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A senior doctor says there is no basis to the WA government's claims a worse than average flu season is contributing to record high ambulance ramping hours.

01/08/2025

A man convicted of a one-punch attack in the Midwest will spend another four months in prison.

The Perth District Court heard Fred Martin Magi left a Geraldton pub on September 25th, where CCTV footage showed him in a verbal argument with another man.

As the victim walked away Magi punched him to the ground, knocking him unconscious.

The victim suffered critical injuries and had part of his skull removed to relieve pressure cause by a hematoma.

Judge Staude said a neurosurgeon reviewed the 43-year-old victim’s health in January and indicated he had recovered from surgery well.

In sentencing, Magi received a 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea.

He received an 18-month imprisonment which was backdated to February.

Magi will be eligible for parole at the end of November.

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01/08/2025

A woman has been fined $10,000 for leaving a dog and a puppy locked inside a house in Geraldton without food and water for several weeks.

An officer discovered the animals in May 2024, underweight, dehydrated and suffering infections.

Lorraine Anjela Coleen Harris, 35, failed to appear at the Joondalup Magistrates Court today, and was convicted in her absence, on two charges of cruelty to an animal and two charges of failing to comply with an order from an inspector.

She was ordered to forfeit the animals, pay $2,111 in costs, and reimburse the RSPCA $3,296.

Harris was banned from contact with animals for three years.

An arrest warrant was issued on separate charges of stealing and breaching bail.

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01/08/2025

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A woman who secretly gave birth in her lounge room and put the newborn in a plastic bag that was later placed in her backyard freezer has avoided going to prison, despite a Perth judge describing her actions as morally repugnant.

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A Geraldton woman who secretly gave birth in her lounge room and concealed the baby in a plastic bag that was later placed in a freezer avoids an immediate jail term. WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

31/07/2025

A small Wheatbelt town became the centre of international attention as backpacker Carolina Wilga is found. Elsewhere, owls and other wildlife face the fight of their lives.

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A small Wheatbelt town became the centre of international attention as backpacker Carolina Wilga is found. Elsewhere, owls and other wildlife face the fight of their lives.

31/07/2025

WA has just endured one of its coldest and wettest months in recent memory, and the Bureau of Meteorology says there is more wild weather on the way.

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WA has just endured one of its coldest and wettest months in recent memory, and the Bureau of Meteorology says there is more wild weather on the way.

31/07/2025

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A woman who secretly gave birth on her lounge room floor put her newborn baby boy in a plastic bag before her partner stored the infant's body in a freezer, a Perth court has been told.

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A woman who secretly gave birth in the WA town of Geraldton before putting her newborn's body into a plastic bag is being sentenced in a Perth court. WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

31/07/2025

The City of Greater Geraldton has officially opened a new youth centre in Wonthella, which it hopes will help local service providers engage children.

Mayor Jerry Clune and member for the agricultural region Sandra Carr cut the ribbon on the new facility, which includes an indoor basketball court, large hall and air-conditioning.

The project has been in the works since 2010, and took a Lottery West grant and a $570,000 contribution from the City.

Mr Clune says there are more projects on the way for Geraldton's young people, such as works on the Youth Precinct at the foreshore.

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30/07/2025

In WA each day, an average of 200 people who have been assessed as appropriate for residential aged care or at-home support remain in hospital beds due to a shortage of places.

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In WA each day, an average of 200 people who have been assessed as appropriate for residential aged care or at-home support remain in hospital beds due to a shortage of places.

30/07/2025

Farmers in Western Australia's Wheatbelt have retrieved Carolina Wilga's abandoned van, weeks after the backpacker survived 12 days missing in the outback.

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After the German backpacker's miracle survival in West Australian bush, local farmers have worked together to recover her abandoned van.