A Pilbara shire is spruiking the region's mines and sparse land as ideal desert warfare training grounds as it taps the armed forces to pour funds into an airport expansion.
The race for state and federal Liberal Party preselection is beginning to heat up, as some high-profile names flag their interest ahead of two party-defining ballots in 2025.
Our weekly appointments wrap includes Dean Nalder, Mark Couzens, Andrew Woodley-Page, Them Lam, Chris Slater, Andrew Young, Terry Enright, Mike Erickson, Ross Love, David Lock, Karl Paganin and Derek Parkin.
The introduction of optional preferential voting for local government elections has caused counting to be a slower process but some councils have announced their 2023 results.
Among the huge list of council hopefuls is the usual swag of business people, community heroes, colourful characters and eyebrow-raising pitches which make elections great.
City of Karratha mayor Peter Long has likened regional representation in the upper house to a communist country, while calling on change in the way local government incomes are generated.
The state has handed over swaths of subsidised land for 44 affordable homes in the housing-strapped resources hub of Karratha, but it will only put a small dent in the waiting list.
Swire Shipping has become the fifth shipping line to commence a direct service into the Pilbara, adding to a trend that will substantially reduce road haulage.
Woodside Petroleum has struck a revised deal with the City of Karratha to build a 604-bed workers camp, but the planning approval time-frame for the project remains uncertain.
Woodside Petroleum has picked Texas-based Bechtel as the most likely contractor to build a new LNG train at its Pluto facility near Karratha, but has hit a hurdle in approvals for an associated fly-in fly-out camp.
The state government has backed plans for a 700-bed workers camp at Karratha, despite opposition from the local community, after Woodside Petroleum launched a website that is meant to boost local employment on future gas projects.
The City of Karratha has strongly opposed Woodside Petroleum's plans for a 700-bed fly-in, fly-out camp, but the final decision rests with Planning and Lands Minister Rita Saffioti, who is playing her cards close to her chest.
Karratha has become the second regional centre in Western Australia after Onslow to complete a major airport upgrade this year, with Busselton and Port Hedland set to commence projects that will lift total spending to about $240 million.
Astron Environmental Services has merged with its smaller, associated business, Astron Soil and Water, as the Perth group adapts to a tougher market and tighter margins.
