Why does no-one know how much native vegetation is being cleared in WA?
The WA government has no consolidated record of native vegetation cleared in the state, and that has environmentalists worried.
Emily Smith is a journalist and breakfast radio host for the ABC in Esperance, WA. Tune in on 837 AM at 6:35am weekdays. Before that, she worked as an online producer and journalist at ABC News Darwin. She formerly worked as a journalist in Queensland, at Mackay's Daily Mercury and at the Central and North Burnett Times, based in Monto.
Follow her on Twitter at: @Emily_SmithDM
The WA government has no consolidated record of native vegetation cleared in the state, and that has environmentalists worried.
When the water-bomber crashed during firefighting efforts in the Fitzgerald River National Park, enthusiasts from surrounding areas scrambled for a piece of the wreckage.
After years of promises and delays, the remote town of Laverton in WA's northern Goldfields is one step closer to securing a new hospital.
Multiple former Adult and Teen Challenge residents have spoken to the ABC about their concerns. An advocate says the government has known the sector's issues for years.
An alcohol and drug rehabilitation provider near Esperance vows to review its program after former residents raise concerns about its reliance on unqualified staff and limited mental health support.
A new $800 million contract for WA's Royal Flying Doctor Service has come as "a slap in the face" to rural doctor Michael Livingston, who wants more money spent on primary health care in the bush.
Cost-of-living pressures, rising material costs, emerging AI, and increasingly fickle social media algorithms are putting extra pressure on creative types. So how are these artists making things work?
To some, it was no surprise — perhaps it was even inevitable — that BHP would choose to close its WA nickel mines and smelters. But the decision has left people living and working in nearby towns feeling numb.
The impact of the closure of BHP's Nickel West operations will be far and wide and "almost signals the end of the Australian nickel industry", a prominent mining analyst says.
Esperance is bracing for a "significant impact" after a mine that accounts for more than half the export trade through the town's port announced it would close.
The mother of a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly threatened with a knife at his school says the WA Education Department has failed to support traumatised students.
The West Australian government says its planned new marine park will be world-class. But among locals, opinion is split on whether it will deliver a promised tourism windfall.
Australia's organ donation and transplantation rates are among the lowest in the developed world, and only 36 per cent of eligible adults are on the register. Leslie Schultz thinks changes are needed to turn that around.
Jonathan Bolwell's life is back on track thanks to a regional rehabilitation facility. Now there are calls for more rehab centres across regional WA, which has the highest average meth consumption rate in Australia.
Only 1 per cent of Australia's beaches are accessible to those who live with disabilities. Jaimen Hudson, who broke his neck trying to get to the beach, says that needs to change.
For many, being alone in some of the world's scariest surf before dawn is a scene from a nightmare. But for Jarvis and Cooper Smallman, it's all part of a family tradition of finding inspiration in the rugged beauty all around them.
An Esperance resident would happily never see a shark again after being circled for five minutes on a broken windsurfer by the ocean's apex predator earlier this week.
With the closure of the Ravensthorpe Nickel Project set to wipe out 330 jobs, locals in the southern WA town of Hopetoun say the community has the inherent strength to keep going.
Debate around the proposed South Coast Marine Park has sparked a swell of negative attitudes towards Indigenous people, with local leaders urged to do more to call it out.
It has been described as one of the world's most epic cycling crossings, but Charissa Hanrahan found the high number of road trains and news of cyclist being fatally hit by a truck enough for her to redirect her journey.
Screen time is a big issue for many parents and educators, but when safely managed it can help children develop creativity, according to an expert.
A community group is celebrating after the state government refused to let an exploration company clear habitat vital to the endangered Carnaby's black cockatoo. But the company has vowed to appeal.
West Australian Fisheries Minister Don Punch acknowledges the South Coast Marine Park "does bring out some pretty passionate views", after climbing onto a brick wall to address hundreds of Esperance locals demanding answers.
While most have moved on from the coronavirus pandemic, a large cohort of people in Western Australia are still caught in its grip.
Esperance Police say the body is in "an extremely difficult position" within a rock formation off the coast of Cape Arid.