Nicolas Perpitch

John Pat's death at just 16 inside an outback police lock-up sparked national outrage and a royal commission. Forty years later, what is his legacy in his hometown?

WA Police say the families whose children drowned in a New Year's Eve tragedy in Perth's Swan River need to be "allowed to grieve" after suffering devastating trauma.

Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas gives his strongest sign yet he will seek WA Liberal Party preselection for the seat of Churchlands, saying he will now turn his mind to a deadline for joining the party.

WA Police are investigating the death of a volunteer firefighter responding to a blaze in the Shire of Esperance in the state's south. 

After a spate of seven emergency bushfires over two days, hot and windy conditions keep fire crews in Western Australia on high alert.

Authorities in Western Australia remain on high alert after five bushfire emergencies in two days destroyed homes and caused major disruption.

Community groups welcome a $210,000 government cash injection to support vulnerable women over Christmas and the summer period after they were left with nowhere to go when a critical overnight shelter was closed.

A Perth teenager pleads guilty to injuring a fellow student with a sharp weapon on high school grounds.

An injured sperm whale that stranded itself at two Perth beaches in recent days dies after becoming stuck on a sand bar at Rockingham.

A whale that has stranded itself twice in the past two days south of Perth may need to be euthanised, WA authorities say.

A 16-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after he was allegedly attacked by the girl with an "edged weapon".

The WA government has extended a taxpayer-funded lifeline to the failed foreign-owned Griffin Coal mine south of Perth so it continues to supply the state's biggest electricity system.

A WA parliamentary inquiry into justice for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse recommends major changes to speed up and widen the scope for compensation claims and avoid unnecessary trauma to survivors.

More West Australians than ever before need help to get enough food to eat amid the cost-of-living crisis, and the organisations devoted to helping them are stretched to the limit. 

A massive bushfire that tore through several northern Perth suburbs and forced residents to flee their homes remains out of control, with authorities confirming property losses and injuries to firefighters.

The mother of teenager Cleveland Dodd, who became WA's first youth to die in custody, expresses disappointment with Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia over revelations uncovered by the ABC about what happened the night he was found unconscious in his cell.

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam will meet with Nationals leader Shane Love to discuss who will be the opposition leader following the defection of Nationals MP Merome Beard, as Premier Roger Cook accuses the opposition of being "riddled with conflict".

Just over a year since his tragic death, Cassius Turvey's life is memorialised with a plaque unveiled in a Perth park on his favourite day of the year. 

There are questions over the future of Western Australia's opposition alliance after North West Central MP Merome Beard quits the Nationals and jumps to the Liberal Party.

The WA Liberals declare it's "showtime" as they start their run to the next election, with leader Libby Mettam promising to build the state's new maternity hospital in Nedlands, where it was first planned, if elected. 

Police allege the man fired into a fully occupied vehicle, which drove off to escape, and he was later found with self-inflicted injuries more than 200km away.

Up to 15,000 people take part in Sydney's pro-Palestinian rally, according to NSW Police, as thousands more turn out in other Australian capital cities.

A First Nations teenager dies after being detained in the controversial Unit 18 youth detention wing of WA's adult Casuarina Prison.

The resounding No vote in Western Australia has been met with relief by many who say it was a distraction, including those in the Wheatbelt town of Darkan. But others say there will be ramifications for reconciliation. 

Traditional owners say an ancient rock shelter in WA's north is in a "fragile state" and was impacted by Rio Tinto's blasting, despite the company concluding it had suffered "no structural damage" as a result of the explosions.