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.

When Keennan Dickie contacted police for help after her rib was broken in a violent robbery, she was instead arrested and sent to jail for failing to pay traffic fines, a situation branded a "shame on WA".

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.

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.

A WA mother is vowing to move interstate with her four-year-old son, splitting him up from his sister, if education authorities refuse her requests for him to start school a year later because he "won't cope".

The City of Melville, which includes some of Perth's most expensive riverside real estate, descends into chaos and claims of standover tactics as tensions boil over ahead of this month's local government election.

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.

Jemma Lilley loses an appeal against her conviction and will stay behind bars for almost three decades after luring Perth teenager Aaron Pajich to her home and murdering him with another woman.

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 Vietnamese man is sentenced to seven years behind bars for growing one of the biggest marijuana crops ever discovered in Western Australia, with an estimated street value of more than $17 million.

Western Australia's second largest timber mill is stripped of a major native timber supply contract after being caught on-selling at least 165 tonnes of marri logs overseas.

Despite a blast of icy air delivering gusty showers and hail to south western parts of WA this week, the state just posted its second-warmest October on record and the driest in 40 years.

We all know that certain diseases are contagious, but sometimes behaviour is contagious as well. We take a look at some historical examples—such as the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962, and the 1518 case of uncontrollable dancing—and we consider what might drive copycat crimes. There's also the possibility of suicide contagion. Trigger warning: this episode touches on the subject of suicide, please take care while listening.

Ever think about how many germs live on your phone? This week on DTS, we'll talk you through the best way to clean it. Plus, Australia weighs up contact tracing apps, while Google and Apple join the fray. And e-sports are getting a boon from our social isolation, but does it still suck? Guests: Tegan Jones, Editor, Gizmodo @Tegan_Writes + Matt Hopkins, Senior Native Content Manager, Pedestrian Daily @mopkins88

How did Oedipus become such a naughty little boy? Is it all the fault of his mother? Perth Theatre Company's latest show is an imaginative take on the Greek myth, says ABC 720's cultural correspondent Victoria Laurie

Indonesia, like other emerging economies, has been hit hard economically by Covid-19. Our guest argues that it's in Australia's interests to extend an economic lifeline, and that there's a costless way to do it.

Some pundits say capitalism can never recover from Covid-19, and there will need to be bigger government. Others say the future economic recovery rests with the business sector.

Renowned sailor Jon Sanders blames a "huge, confused swell" for the sinking his yacht off the coast of WA.

Space exploration has given us conveniences such as smartphone cameras, memory foam mattresses and satellite navigation, but it also boosts the economy.

Sandy Verschoor is elected Adelaide Lord Mayor, while the state's four largest councils and two largest cities outside Adelaide will have women in charge following elections yesterday.

An ageing workforce and preconceptions about the transport industry are helping create a nationwide truck driver shortage that has serious implications for the economy.

The export market for raw leather and sheepskin has plummeted as competition from synthetics and a lack of demand has left exporters with stockpiles of almost worthless skins.

Analysis by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) finds community service flights conducted by charity Angel Flight Australia have a fatal accident rate more than seven times higher than other private flights.

The small SA town of Lucindale prepares to balloon to 40 times the size of its population as it hosts a free concert drawing in music-lovers and road-trippers from across the country.

A growing number of people with chronic diabetes are building their own artificial pancreas which has some health professionals seriously concerned.

Not many people turn down job offers from NASA, but Tony Hutchison did. The 80-year-old has devoted himself to space operations from the radio shack in his home in regional South Australia.

Every year for the past two decades, the tiny Queensland town of Weengallon has played host to huge crowds of women dressed in pink who gather for a good cause.

The battle between Turkey and Syria may be 13,000 kilometres from Toowoomba, but the effect of the war is being anxiously felt by the Queensland city's new Kurdish community.

Drought-stricken Queensland farmers are worried about where their underground water is going as a new report questions the impact of a controversial coal mine.

State Emergency Service volunteers from across the Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Noosa are continuing to search for a 14-year-old boy who has been missing for 12 days.

Fast rail, a high frequency Metro, and a duplicate M1, are just some of the multi-billion-dollar "fixes" aimed at getting South East Queensland moving again. But is it enough to solve the transport woes?

Residents of Noosa Springs have a close call when a bushfire comes within metres of homes, while fires continue to burn on Bribie Island.

A Sunshine Coast business defends its decision to dump concrete on a beach north of Noosa, as the Department of Environment launches an investigation into the matter.

A local politician's stab at finding romance on reality television could backfire, as the Noosa Mayor considers a code of conduct probe into Councillor Jess Glasgow.

A formal investigation begins over the actions of Noosa Shire Councillor Jess Glasgow as a contestant on reality TV dating program The Bachelorette, with comments he made on the dating show described as "crude" and "highly offensive".

Chemical experts warn a Queensland council that a plan to dump millions of litres of PFAS-contaminated water into the sea off the Sunshine Coast as "insanity".

A bushfire that was threatening homes at Peregian on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is brought under control, with firefighters surrounding the blaze to keep it contained.

Dozens of residents from the Peregian Beach area have evacuated.

A Sunshine Coast couple who launched an ambitious campaign to pay for their dream wedding using Queensland's container refund scheme lock in a venue, celebrant and catering all paid for by the initiative.

Longstanding pain is a huge problem and doctors are trying to avoid opioids with all their problems, which could explain why a medication called Lyrica - the generic name is pregabalin - is one of the world's highest selling drugs.

A group of shearers tired of losing loved ones to suicide hope that, by sharing their stories, they can spark a broader conversation about mental health in regional areas.