Charlie McLean

Jan 8, 2025 | abc.net.au | Giulia Bertoglio |Charlie McLean |Jessica Shackleton |Brianna Melville |Andrew Chounding

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made housing the centrepiece of his latest election pitch to Western Australia, pledging to "unlock" more than 1,000 homes across the state's regional communities. Touching down in Kununurra last night after a whistlestop tour of the Top End, Mr Albanese said the $200 million package would help ease the housing crunch across multiple WA cities as well as boost community infrastructure.

Jan 3, 2025 | abc.net.au | Rosemary Murphy |Charlie McLean

When you think of famous cats, your mind might go to Garfield or Grumpy Cat. But in the remote West Australian town of Newman, another cat with attitude is helping those laying down the law, becoming something of a local online celebrity. The station, located about 1,170 kilometres north-east of Perth, adopted PC Bandit as a rescue kitten in 2020. He has since settled in well in his role as a companion animal, even winning over the likes of Sergeant Simon Rimmer.

Dec 17, 2024 | abc.net.au | Charlie McLean |Rosemary Murphy

Australia is in a race to decarbonise and the country has never been hungrier for energy. Billions of dollars are flooding into solar and wind farms, hydrogen projects, and even more gas wells to fill the energy gap left by the phase out of Australia’s coal-fired power stations. It is driving a population boom in Western Australia’s resource-rich Pilbara region. Firmly in the spotlight is the region's only city, Karratha, which according to the 2021 census has 22,000 residents.

Dec 3, 2024 | abc.net.au | Bridget McArthur |Charlie McLean

A survey has found WA construction workers experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours at three times the national average, with fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out workers particularly at risk. Former FIFO worker Aroha McCormack, who lost a friend and colleague to suicide almost four years ago, says many struggle with the isolation and whiplash between life on the job and at home. UWA researchers are calling for more targeted mental health interventions in the construction industry.

Nov 30, 2024 | abc.net.au | Jessica Shackleton |Charlie McLean

Another summer has arrived in the remote West Australian town of Roebourne and as temperatures begin to rise, Ngarluma woman Kaylene Daniel worries about her son. He is preparing to be relocated to one of the hottest prisons in the country, where the long-awaited installation of air-conditioning isn't scheduled to be finished until mid-next year. "Thinking of my son coming back to this overcrowding prison and the heat," she said.