WA nickel miner Western Areas is attempting to raise about $100 million in a venture designed in part to reduce debt.

This week on Backyard Farmer, we are delving into the strange and wonderful world of alpacas.

A Collingwood footballer admitted to police hours after his arrest that he punched a man out of 'anger' following an earlier altercation outside a nightclub. The trial of Magpies defender Marley Williams in the District Court in his home town of Albany, on WA's South Coast, was this morning played the accused's initial interview with police. Williams is charged with grievous bodily harm, after punching then 29-year-old Matthew Robertson outside the Studio 146 nightclub in December 2012.

The Auditor General has found the Water Corporation is losing billions of litres of water more than it should each year, mainly due to leaking pipes. In his report, tabled in Parliament today, Colin Murphy says about 30 billion litres of water was lost each year, ten billion more than what is considered acceptable. The agency will also have to fork out tens of millions of dollars to replace ageing pipes in the network.

Western Australian Wheatbelt nickel producer Western Areas says it will make significant savings after raising the funds to pay off a $110 million bond.

The Shire of Kojonup says its hopes of seeing a new medical centre built in the town could be revived if a State Government grant is reinstated.

A Liberal MP has told State Parliament that council amalgamations should have started in regional Western Australia.

Footballer Marley William's claim he acted in self defence when he punched another man is a "fantasy", the prosecution in his trial says. Mr Williams admits to punching then 29-year-old Matthew Robertson in the face outside the Studio 146 nightclub in the south coastal town of Albany, the Magpies defender's home town. He gave evidence on Wednesday and today, saying Mr Robertson and two other men had previously attacked him inside the club and he feared being 'beaten up' again outside.

Collingwood footballer Marley Williams has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm over a one-punch attack in Albany.

How much training would you expect a soldier to receive before being sent to the frontline in the theatre of war?

A Western Australian Nationals' MP has labelled "ridiculous" a Liberal backbencher's call for the Royalties for Regions scheme to be abolished.

WA grain growers are being told they must take the initiative to market their own grain if the industry is to survive.

The Shire of Manjimup's chief executive officer, Jeremy Hubble, has resigned from after eight years in the job.

Police have charged three people with drug offences after raids on several properties across Albany.

Supporters of wind farms are urging state and federal governments to back the use of the renewable energy source, after an official review of evidence found a lack of support for claims of health effects.

The Shire of Plantagenet is facing a shortfall of nearly $1 million in its funding for a major sporting precinct upgrade, after receiving a smaller than hoped for Western Australian Government grant.

A regional business lobby group says the Federal Government should recognise how important skilled foreign worker visas are in country areas.

A $42 million upgrade of Albany's sporting facilities is a step closer, after the city council ratified plans for the precinct.

A study shows the mining boom has generated up to 65 per cent more wealth for the top 20 per cent of West Australian households. But the research by Curtin University shows not all areas have reaped the rewards. It analysed the effects of the boom from 2003/04 to its peak in 2009/10 and found while those with higher incomes benefited substantially, other residents also benefited due to increased employment opportunities.

A group of men from the Military Brotherhood motorcycle club are riding from Brisbane to Perth, and back again, to raise money for a charity that supports the families of fallen veterans.

We're almost in the third month of the year, and it's likely that your garden is looking a little on the tired side. Never fear, help is here!

A Denmark man has pleaded guilty to more than 50 charges relating to filming, or attempting to film, his teenage step-daughter.

Several accommodation providers in Albany have expressed frustration at delays in finalising plans for the city's Anzac centenary commemorations.

Farmers in some of the driest parts of Western Australia are concerned they will miss out on funds from the Federal Government's drought assistance package because they will not meet the criteria.

The South-West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council says the Noongar community will decide mid-year whether to accept the Western Australian Government's native title offer.

An illness is rarely something that saves a life, but in the case of Tom Sharp, that is what is likely to have happened.

A parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme wants to hear your experiences with the initiative.

New figures show road fatalities and injuries are decreasing more in regional Western Australia than in Perth.

The Member for Moore, Shane Love, is hoping a parliamentary inquiry will address issues with a scheme which helps regional people travel to get medical treatment.

A group of West Australian farmers is planning a class action in the federal court after their lenders shortened the length of their loans, in some cases, from 25 years to just 12 months.

The Narrogin Town Council is calling on the Western Australian Government to support upgrades to a wastewater treatment system, which it says is costing nearly $100,000 annually to maintain.

Tristan was a kind and gentle 23-year-old surfer from Byron Bay. One night he suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode. And ended up driven to hospital in a small steel cage. Police say it is probably the worst place he could be. Tristan later died in hospital. Mario Christodoulou investigates the series of tragic events that led to Tristan's death that raise questions about how emergency services treat young drug-affected people in New South Wales.

Coronavirus is changing the way the entire human race lives. Emergency workers are scrambling together contingency plans, fearing hospitals could soon be overwhelmed. Scientists are racing to invent a faster, cheaper Covid-19 test kit available for us all. Restaurants are reinventing themselves as delivery services, artists are turning to live-streaming to make a living. This week, the entire Background Briefing team investigates how each of us are finding new ways to get by.

What does it take to prepare for a pandemic? Many hospitals around the world are already overwhelmed by patients infected with COVID-19. Australian doctors and nurses are bracing for something most of them have never faced before. In our country hospitals, resources are already stretched: beds are in short supply and there’s a greater proportion of older people. Preparation will, in many cases, be the difference between life and death.
 ABC National Regional Reporter Jess Davis takes us inside the Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, Victoria, as the team tries to prepare for the unimaginable.

Two terrifying incidents involving convicted extremists took place in London last year. The first, the London Bridge attack, left two people dead. Nine weeks later, in Streatham, two passersby were stabbed on the street. Both cases occurred after the perpetrators had failed to be rehabilitated in prison. So how effective are the UK's schemes for de-radicalising offenders? The BBC's File on 4 investigates where it is time for a radical overhaul of the way England treats extremists. For copyright reasons there will be no podcast or streaming of this program.

The coronavirus pandemic is causing pain and suffering the world over, but then there are always those who never let a good crisis go to waste. Some are benefiting from COVID-19 for legitimate reasons: just think of companies that make video conferencing apps, ventilators, or canny investors. But there are also more nefarious players looking to bank a win off the back of coronavirus fear and confusion: scam artists, fraudsters, counterfeiters. This week, Geoff Thompson, Mario Christodoulou, Meghna Bali and Kat Gregory investigate who's winning in these turbulent times and how.

People experiencing homelessness are being moved from the street and shelters into four-star hotels. The radical plan is meant to protect them from the pandemic and it's temporary. But as Hagar Cohen discovers, there are questions about what happens once the virus crisis is over.

Queensland's cotton towns welcome Chinese investment in Cubbie Station and full irrigation dams.

Coolah and Dunedoo are neighbouring towns, both with no visible Aboriginal community, and the reason why is complex with reports of massacres, movements and missing pieces of history.

The names of towns, roads and localities of central and western NSW are a treasure trove of toponymy, or the study of name origins, but their meanings also provide powerful connection for people and the places they call home.

In 2017, Curious Central West travelled far and wide to investigate stories that were complex and confronting, while others were cute and quirky.