Thoughts and prayers don't usually come with a price tag attached, but a study finds they have a different value for different people, depending on religious observance.

Mackay teenager Brooke Anderson still vividly recalls the devastation at seeing her family's beloved Jack Russell terrier Jackie in terrible pain before he died in a suspected poison bait incident.

A second man is extradited to Queensland from New South Wales, charged with murder over the disappearance of Jay Brogden in north Queensland in 2007.

It's a 73-year-old event, but for the first time, wheelchair dancers have taken to the stage at the Mackay Eisteddfod in north Queensland, to the audience's delight.

A north Queensland man has helped to create a club for car lovers with a disability or mental illness the kind of program he wished was around 14 years ago, when he attempted suicide.

Adani is granted a Supreme Court order that could expose two traditional owners to possible jail time if they return to a ceremonial camp on the Queensland mine site, the men's lawyer says.

North Queensland backbencher George Christensen will seek the British Government's permission to meet with the WikiLeaks founder ahead of his extradition hearing next year.

An English tourist has his foot bitten off and his friend suffers serious injuries when they are attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the Whitsundays.

A new brand of militant activists hope to derail the WA Government's plans to build an outer harbour by waging an environmental war similar to the successful campaign to kill off the Roe 8 highway expansion.

Geelong's chances of making it past a red-hot Richmond in next week's preliminary final are dealt a big blow, as Tom Hawkins is given a ban for striking unless he appeals successfully.

The Landgate deal represents a sizeable change in position by WA Labor, a party that spent years fighting tooth and nail against privatisations but just locked in one of the state's biggest-ever deals with the private sector, writes Jacob Kagi.

Perth's flagship convention centre at the heart of the CBD is slowly sinking into the Swan River, developing undulating "speed bumps" in a carpark at the base of the structure that is creating hazards for cars and people.

Suspended Lord Mayor of Perth Lisa Scaffidi tells an inquiry into the council that she supported a decision to activate a crisis management plan because an "extraordinary situation" had unfolded within the organisation.

As elite athletes face more pressure than ever, the role of the coach is also evolving. And while an almighty spray and a heavy hand were once the norm, a different approach is now winning over players, writes Clint Thomas.

As more couples leave the decision to have children until later in life, or decide against having them at all, their parents are grappling with the prospect of missing out on the grandparent experience.

A community of just 600 people isolated in the Indian Ocean is being inundated with the world's plastic waste. It is now finding innovative ways to fight back.

A second Brownlow Medal leaves Nat Fyfe in rare air among some of the AFL's all-time greats. But guiding the Fremantle Dockers back to the finals and to their first premiership would cement his legacy, writes Clint Thomas.

Private contractors tasked with guarding a violent serial offender broke an "absolute principal of looking after prisoners" when they allowed him to escape and go on the run in Perth, WA's Corrective Services Minister says.

The AFL advises that West Coast Eagles player Willie Rioli tested positive in an in-competition drug test for "a metabolite of cannabis", having previously tampered with a sample in a separate test.

A man who triggered a four-day manhunt after fleeing from custody at hospital is recaptured in a dramatic arrest in Perth's north-east suburbs, with a security contractor fined $100,000 over his escape.

Attorney-General John Quigley intervenes to order woman's release from prison for murdering her partner after her history as a victim of domestic violence came to light, declaring "now is the time for mercy".

The ACT is in the spotlight right now for marijuana law reform. But years ago another Australian state went down a very similar path in loosening the law when it came to recreational cannabis use.

The mother of Perth girl Denishar Woods, left with severe brain damage after a severe electric shock, has been waiting for a report into the accident, but it fails to establish who is to blame.

As WA Premier Mark McGowan proudly announced direct flights from Perth to Shanghai this week, it flew in stark contrast to Scott Morrison's US visit that put several Chinese noses out of joint, writes Eliza Borrello.

A farmer who trains backpackers in grain and livestock farming says demand for good seasonal workers in WA is outstripping her ability to supply them and her agency is stretched to the limit.

Housing oversupply and sluggish migration rates mean today's rate cut will do little to stimulate the Perth property market, as the city's average property price falls another 0.8 per cent.

The number of people infected with measles in Perth rises to eight in an outbreak West Australian health authorities believe was sparked by an infected visitor from New Zealand.

Three more cases of measles are confirmed in Perth in what health authorities say is an "unprecedented" cluster of cases in the city's south, linked to a far bigger outbreak in New Zealand that has caused pregnant women to miscarry.

While the release of Jody Gore has shone a spotlight on the ability of Aboriginal women to access justice, Australia is continuing to turn a blind eye to violence against Indigenous women, writes Hannah McGlade.

A Perth doctor is warning of the dangers of wearing high-vis shirts in direct sunlight after what she believes is the world's first case of burns from retro-reflective tape.

An inquest into the death of a notorious Perth criminal dubbed "the Porsche kid" is told a prison guard said she "didn't care if he died" during a standoff that ended with him trying to take his own life.

Rapid population growth in the city of Mandurah south of Perth sees an equally steep hike in the number of people sleeping rough, forcing the council to reach out for help to contain the growing problem.

The parents of a boy who suffers from a rare genetic condition say his life would be at risk if he is deported, after his application for permanent residency was rejected over the cost of his care.

At Western Australia's upcoming local council elections, 37 of the 138 jurisdictions won't hold a vote because all the candidates have been elected unopposed.

Gerard Ross vanished while holidaying with his family south of Perth in 1997 and the 11-year-old's body was found a fortnight later. Now police are launching a new push to find his killer.

The heavy industrial area of Kwinana is home to Perth's only remaining beach shack community, but there are fears a new container port could destroy the simple lifestyle the locals have worked so hard to preserve.

After Marni Devlin's ute was written off she thought her insurance company would help, but now she's left without a car and no way to buy a new one.

A Perth Family Court psychologist is found guilty of professional misconduct for writing an official report labelling a father "psychopathic" without a clinical diagnosis, resulting in him being separated from his son.

Luca the dolphin was 18 months old when he became entangled in discarded fishing line and died. Now Mandurah, south of Perth, is rallying together in a bid to protect the rest of its dolphin population from a similar fate.

More than 60 West Australian homes and businesses are having their electricity cut off on an average day for failing to pay their bills, with the number more than doubling in just three years.

Mining billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest goes all-in on Global Rapid Rugby but establishing the fundamentals of the start-up league is more important than securing high-profile talent, according to its new chief.

Alison Coats was juggling a new job at an inner-city law firm and raising three young boys when her life "imploded". She is just one of a growing number of people who have struggled to stretch the household budget to pay the bills.

A man with a disability was strip searched and prosecuted after a false claim he was photographing children at a beachside suburb, leading to calls for an apology from WA Police.

The marriage of one of WA's worst sex offenders is one of the key factors why he should not be released from prison because of fears his wife could be "at risk of harm from him".

Western Australia is experiencing its worst outbreak of measles for two decades, with 28 confirmed cases since the end of September and it is being handled in much the same way as a bushfire or a cyclone.

Three spearfishing teenage divers sought refuge on a reef for an hour waiting to be rescued after bronze whaler sharks began circling them.