Fill up, petrol price hike on the way

PETROL is expected to jump 18 cents per litre tomorrow, with industry watchdog FuelWatch telling drivers to fill up tonight and save money.

In the petrol price cycle, Wednesday remains the cheapest day to buy fuel, and this week is no different.

Tomorrow, BP sites are hiking their unleaded petrol price by 18cpl to 154.9cpl.

Most Caltex and Caltex Woolworths sites are increasing their ULP by 17cpl up to 153.9 cpl, Coles Express sites by 16cpl up to 152.9cpl and most Gull and Peak sites will go up to 151.9cpl.

Tomorrow's metropolitan average price for ULP will be 150.0cpl, however there will be more than 40 Perth sites selling petrol below 140 cpl.

Today's cheapest ULP is available for:
- 132.9cpl at Peak Glen Forrest, Peak Sawyers Valley and Gull High Wycombe in the East;
- 132.1cpl at Coles Express Fremantle in the South;

- 132.1cpl at Coles Express Clarkson and Coles Express Wanneroo Pearsall in the North.

Tomorrow's cheapest ULP will be available for:
- 134.9cpl at Caltex Glen Forrest and Caltex StarMart Mundaring in the East;
- 132.1cpl at Coles Fremantle in the South;
- 132.1cpl at Coles Express Wanneroo Pearsall and Coles Express Clarkson in the North.

Log on to www.fuelwatch.wa.gov.au for more information.

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Worst road safety in the nation

Road Safety Council chairman Murray Lampard warns that risk-taking on the road has consequences. Source: PerthNow

WESTERN Australia's road deaths in the first 37 days of the year have equalled the number in the same period in 2011 and 2012 combined.

Police report there have been 27 road deaths and 17 critical injuries in WA so far in 2013, leading the Road Safety Council to worry people are not driving responsibly.

In comparison, there were 13 road deaths in the same period in 2012 and 14 in 2011.

The latest fatality was a 22-year-old woman who crashed her car into the back of a stationary truck in Perth's southern suburb of Beeliar on Sunday.

She died in hospital last night.

The alarming road toll figure gives WA the worst road safety rate in the country, the council says.

Road Safety Council chairman Murray Lampard said that reducing road trauma and preventing road crashes did not just come down to driver attitude.

"The majority of fatal and serious crashes are drivers, just like you and me, who one day make a fatal mistake," he said.

"No one goes out onto the road intending to have a crash, but any level of risk-taking on the road has consequences - for ourselves and for other road users."

Mr Lampard said community education was aimed at raising awareness about safe driving and supporting police operations.

"Enforcement measures form a vital piece of the puzzle, but we cannot expect police to be everywhere on the roads," he said.

The council has recommended a trial of point-to-point cameras, which measure a driver's average speed over a distance, but the idea was rejected by the state government.

Until new budgetary recommendations are made, the council cannot speculate whether the decision will stand in the next financial year, Mr Lampard said.

"The council will always seek to reduce road trauma where the most lives will be saved, including speed-enforcement safety cameras," he said.

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Burlesque with blokes at Fringe World

Mark 'Captain Kidd' Winmill performing in the show Briefs, at Fringe World 2013. Source: PerthNow

HAVE you ever seen a man in a blonde wig, false eyelashes and towering heels writhing around in a green sparkly bikini to keep several hoola hoops circling his body at once?

If the answer is no, then you need to add Briefs to your Fringe World to do list - immediately.

It's an outrageous, mischievous, circus-infused variety show run by a troupe of scantily clad, filthy-minded (and mouthed) troupe of high-flying boylesque babes/gender offenders out to show off their acrobatic and dance skills.

Hosted by the hilarious and sassy Samoan-born drag queen, Shivannah (aka Fez Faanana), who rocks more outfit changes in a one hour show than Beyonce does in a national tour, the performance slams together equal parts breathtaking skill, flashy showmanship and side-splitting comedy.

Natano Faanana will leave your stomach in knots as he twists and twirls his way through an impressive series of aerial stunts.

Covered by little more than the silk ropes he hangs from, his traditional Samoan tattoos add an extra element of beauty to his performance.

Whether he was running around in a dress, swirling hoola hoops around his hips, or hanging from the ceiling as he performed a sensual strip tease, all eyes were on Mark "Captain Kidd" Winmill, who was crowned King of Burlesque in 2011, each time he took to the stage.

Sporting leopard skin and a moustache, resident strong man Johnny Domino also impressed as bent, twisted, ripped and lifted his way through the show.

And the oh-so-awkward Davy Gravy was hysterical in his deadpan delivery of some remarkable balancing tricks.

For those of you lucky enough to get your hands on tickets - take part in the Briefs "meat tray raffle" if you dare and don't forget to keep an eye out for Shivannah's eye-popping ending.

And if the whole "burlesque with balls" thing isn't for you, why not try your hand at some magic tricks?

Decked out in dapper Victorian threads and magnificent facial hair to match, Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians were eager to have their audience involved throughout their hour-long show.

Though Morgan and West were awkward at times, it suited the characters, making them all the more likable and hesitant audience members soon warmed up to them, learning there was nothing to be afraid of when invited on stage.

The amused noises and giggles were plentiful as the pair performed card tricks, impossible guessing games and baffling disappearing/appearing acts.

* Briefs continues until Feb 11, Idolize Speigeltent, Perth Cultural Centre. Limited tickets available. Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians continues until Feb 11, De Parade Teatro 2, Perth Cultural Centre. Fringe World continues until Feb 24. For tickets and more information visit www.fringeworld.com.au.

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MKR made us look bitchy: Spice Girls

Known as the 'Spice Girls' high school friends Jessie and Biswa have been eliminated from My Kitchen Rules. Source Seven Network

IT was meant to be a fun and fabulous fifteen minutes of TV fame for My Kitchen Rules' newest villains Jessie Khan and Biswa Kamila.

But such has been the scorching heat of publicity and viewer backlash, at least one half of the now infamous Spice Girls is "relieved" the pair have now been eliminated from Channel 7's mega-rating home-cooking show.

Khan admitted the vicious and racist reaction to their contentious appearance on MKR had left her shell-shocked by the TV experience and grateful they crashed out so early in the competition.

NRL footballer in racist slur over MKR's Khan and Kamila

My Kitchen Rules' Spice Girls in Twitter race row

Biswa Kamila and Jessie Khan with their partners Fady El-Sharoni (left) and Simon Ameen. Picture: Danny Aarons,

The NSW pairing had polarised the 2-million-plus audience with their antagonistic approach to the series, criticised for stirring the pot and undermining their rivals during the first week of home visits.

While Khan and her best friend Biswa had happily gone along with the producers' plan to play the bad girls, the reality of reality television editing left the two women in tears over their portrayal and the hateful public response which followed them.

Khan said she took death threats from the angriest fans seriously, but could not understood the level of venom directed of them over "just being ourselves."

She pointed to the out-of-context editing of footage, especially in the final days of their MKR lives, for painting them as emotionally manipulative and negative schemers.

Two of the most offensive recent tweets aimed at My Kitchen Rules' contestants Jessie Khan and Biswa Kamila.

"We're not such horrible people who hate everyone all the time," Khan said. "It was nothing like that and we came across to the public as such negative people.

She said the vile response on Twitter had been out of proportion to their alleged crimes.

"We didn't expect this reaction. We didn't think people would take us so seriously. The reaction has been out of proportion."

Admitting they had been guilty of "saying too much" to producers, Khan said her comments in particular had been sliced and diced during the Jake and Elle episode, making her seem like she was smiling at the their failings and upset when they succeeded in the eyes of the judges.

Contestants Jessie Khan and Biswa Kamila said they were just being themselves, but the edits made them look nasty.

"That (editing) really upset me in the end because I knew that wasn't me. They filmed me smiling when actually I was reacting to them being praised by the judges and that wasn't what it seemed like on (air)."

While accepting the risks involved in signing up for reality TV, Khan said she felt manipulated at times by the process.

"It's part of the show (to be villain). You film for 12 hours and in the end you say anything. They (producers) were always really nice and ask you about things. You might not want to say them (on camera) but they'd say 'it's okay, say that.' Then they'd use it in a way that it wasn't meant to be."

On the upside, the friends felt vindicated by the wild ratings success of the show, especially the season peak hit during their home restaurant episode (which hit 3.2 million viewers across the metro and regional markets).

Not ruling out a return to the small screen, Khan said the double act would consider signing on to another lifestyle program, or even a reality vehicle like The Amazing Race.

On life as a villain, Khan revealed they had been taking advice from 2Day FM's shock jock Kyle Sandilands.

"I can't say he's humble," Khan said, "but he's nicer than we thought he'd be and he gave us advice before the show started and we'd listen to him again."

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Barnett plays law and order election card

The official state election campaign is underway, and both parties have come out swinging.

WA Premier Colin Barnett has attacked previous Labor Governments, saying they bought shame on the state.
Source: The Sunday Times

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan rejected the Premier criticism, saying that Troy Buswell's antics were an embarrassment.
Source: PerthNow

LAW and order was top of the West Australian government's agenda when it fired its first official election campaign salvo.

The move to propose yet more mandatory legislation for serious offenders - usually a vote winner - came less than two hours after Premier Colin Barnett requested the issuing of election writs for the March 9 election.

He also came out swinging at the previous Alan Carpenter and Geoff Gallop-led Labor governments, labelling them "an embarrassment" that discredited and brought shame on the state because five ministers were forced to resign or were sacked after becoming embroiled in Corruption and Crime Commission inquiries.

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan fired back, saying Treasurer and Transport Minister Troy Buswell was an embarrassment who kept being promoted - referring to years of scandals involving bra-snapping and chair sniffing, and more recently, a defamation suit against his ex-lover, independent MP Adele Carles, over public comments she made about his antics.

Mr Barnett defended Mr Buswell, making a distinction between abusing one's position as a minister and private behaviour.

"A great embarrassment in government is your behaviour as a minister," Mr Barnett told reporters.

"I've got great respect for Troy Buswell. I think he is an outstanding minister.

"Compare that to Labor ministers who misused their position.

"Has Troy misused his position? No.

"Big difference."

The premier said his comments about Labor's historical CCC dramas was relevant because "it tells you something about the nature of the Labor party and the people in the Labor party", and should not be forgotten. And while he didn't want to drag up "long history", he also touched on the WA Inc era of the 1980s.

Opposition police spokeswoman Michelle Roberts also mentioned the CCC, referring to Mr Barnett's proposed legislation to expand the corruption watchdog's powers, which he had not succeeded in pushing through in his first term.

"Colin Barnett can simply not be trusted," Mr Roberts said.

She said the Liberals' proposal on Wednesday - to hand mandatory jail terms to burglars who seriously hurt or sexually assault residents while thieving - was necessary.

But only because the WA government had so far failed to deal with home burglaries.

"Their dismal record on legislative reform should give Western Australians little confidence that their promise would ever be delivered," she said.

"The best way to fight crime is to have cops on the beat."

Ms Roberts said the Barnett government had reneged on its 2008 election promise to increase police numbers by 500 - a pledge put forward by the opposition on Tuesday and welcomed by the police union.

There had been a 15 per cent rise in offences against the person between 2010 and 2012, and a 12 per cent rise in property offences in 2012, she said.

Mr Barnett said overall crime had fallen nine per cent under his leadership, but burglaries had risen substantially.

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Brother-in-law killer claims self-defence

A MAN accused of murdering his brother-in-law has claimed it was self-defence, despite an elaborate escape in which he fled Australia and evaded police for more than a decade.

Anthony Carl Prestidge is on trial in the Supreme Court charged with the wilful murder of Andy Arthur Ball on September 10, 2002.

In her opening address, prosecutor Linda Petrusa said Mr Ball's body was found on September 12, 2002, under some bed sheets in the kitchen at his home with only his feet poking out.

A post mortem examination revealed he had died from a severe head injury with extensive fracturing of the skull and some brain injury, she said.

He had been struck with "a large degree of force'' to the back of the head and had been lying on the floor bleeding when he was struck a second time, she said.

Ms Petrusa alleged Prestidge committed the murder and then fled to the Perth International Airport where he made a call to a friend saying he would meet up with them soon, only to instead board a flight to Bali moments later.

She said his actions demonstrated a consciousness of guilt.

Mr Ball, who was then 24, had been married for four years to Prestidge's sister, Angela, and they had two children.

But the relationship was both mentally and physically abusive, and Ms Ball had been hospitalised in 2001 for a broken cheek bone, a fact she shared with her brother when he came from London to visit them in August 2002, Ms Petrusa said.

After talks with her brother, Ms Ball decided to finally leave her husband in September 2002.

Before his death, Mr Ball had told some neighbours that if anything happened to him it would be Prestidge's fault, Ms Petrusa said.

Defence lawyer Helen Prince argued that while Mr Ball's death was a tragedy, her client had acted in self-defence when Mr Ball came to him with a knife believing Prestidge was having an affair with his own sister.

Mr Ball had thought Prestidge was going to tear his family apart and that his wife was going to take his children overseas, Ms Prince said.

"Tony will always have to live with that,'' she said.

There was a difference between criminal responsibility and moral responsibility, Ms Prince said.

The fact that Prestidge had fled did not indicate a consciousness of guilt over the crime, and the fact that he covered the body with sheets indicated some care for the victim, she said.

The trial continues.

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Work bans by nurses at third WA hospital

ANF state secretary Mark Olson has called on the WA government to make nurses a decent pay offer. Source: PerthNow

NURSES at Fremantle Hospital plan to impose work bans tomorrow, joining colleagues at two other hospitals as they press their pay claim with the WA government.

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) was originally seeking a 20 per cent wage rise over three years, but members who attended a union meeting at Royal Perth Hospital on Monday said they would accept a minimum 15 per cent increase over the same period.

The state government has offered public sector nurses a three per cent per year wage rise - equivalent to inflation - and a further 1.25 per cent per annum if they give up certain conditions of employment.

Nurses at Royal Perth Hospital adopted the work bans on Monday, followed by Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital today.

While the wrangling continues with the Health Department of Western Australia, they will not be doing any work that does not directly involve the care of a patient, including removing rubbish, cleaning toilets and bathrooms, and moving medical equipment in and out of theatre rooms.

They say they've been forced to do work that would normally be done by orderlies and cleaners - positions that have been cut back.

ANF state secretary Mark Olson said the work bans would slow down the operations of any hospital where they were implemented, suggesting more were in store.

The first casualty would be the state government's rule that patients are treated and cleared from emergency departments within four hours, he said.

Mr Olson said the rule relied heavily on the goodwill of nurses.

"It will be impossible for hospitals to continue to get patients out of the emergency departments within the designated four hours,'' he said.

"For that to happen, nurses have to clean rooms and equipment, clean operating theatres, move patients, move furniture and equipment or collect medications and fill out paperwork for patients being discharged - all of which will no longer be happening at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital after today.''

Mr Olson called on the WA government to "show some respect and make nurses a decent offer''.

Public sector nurses will hold a mass meeting on February 18 - the first in 12 years, Mr Olson said - to discuss taking further measures to push their case.

"It will start to have an effect on the theatre list,'' he said.

"The (health) minister (Kim Hames) is hoping if he ignores it, it will go away.''

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City goes green in vision of Perth future

Images from the WA Planning Commission's "Capital City Planning Framework: A Vision For Central Perth" released today. The plan can be viewed online at www.planning.wa.gov.au Source: PerthNow

THE future of central Perth is green according to a bold plan to transform the CBD into a "world-class capital city'' released by authorities today.

The WA Planning Commission's Capital City Planning Framework highlights three key precincts, each containing major landmarks that characterise the capital: Parliament Hill and Kings Park; the Swan River foreshore; and Forrest Place.

The framework document says the setting for central Perth is to be "reconceived as a world class, multifunctional green network, shaped by the City's sense of place, providing benefits to people and wildlife and showcasing our unique city-scapes and biodiversity''.
It continues:

"The natural setting in which urban metropolitan Perth and central Perth sit is an essential element to the identity, liveability and ecology of the city.

"These natural environments should be conceived and planned as a green infrastructure network, delivering a wide range of ecosystem services. As central Perth regional parklands will weave between urban buildings and along streets, connecting the city with the river, parklands and beaches.

"By enhancing our sense of place this will make central Perth even more memorable for residents and visitors alike.''

The areas planned for the network were the City, the river foreshore, Kings Park, Bold Park, the coast, Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger.

Successfully linking Kings Park and Bold Park would offer the greatest challenge and the greatest potential gains, the report said.

Other key plans were to reduce the need for private cars, to increase the city's liveability and sustainability, to add more residential housing at higher densities in central Perth and more trees to the citys streets.

Department of Planning director general Eric Lumsden said the framework was an integral blueprint for the city's essential and inevitable planning and infrastructure changes to accommodate a diverse population.

The drivers of change for the city included globalisation, increased trade, population growth, digital connectivity and more.

"Architectural and urban design quality in Perth will be critical to building the citys economic future, as well as its liveability, sustainability and cultural identity,'' Mr Lumsden said. 

He said today's release of the final Capital City Planning Framework outlined a "spatial strategy that envisions a renewed sense of character and connectivity for central Perth''.

The framework focused on central Perth, a nominal area of 12 km by 12 km including Perth city and its frame, West Perth, East Perth and Northbridge.

The draft framework was released for public comment in mid-2011, and received almost unanimous in-principle endorsement in the submissions of stakeholder organisations and community members, along with many positive suggestions about how it could be improved.

This final edition incorporates as many of these suggestions as possible, while maintaining the overall policy direction of the draft document.

The document can be accessed on the Planning WA website http://www.planning.wa.gov.au.

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String of bushfires on Great Eastern Hwy

BUSHFIRES have broken out along the Great Eastern Highway in Western Australia, including one across the highway from the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre at Northam, north-east of Perth.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said firefighters were working on several scrub fires along the highway.

Fires had also broken out on the corner of Northam's main street, Mitchell Avenue, and Mt Ommanney Rd.

Do you have any photos of the fire? Email them here

Details were being gathered ahead of the release of alerts, she said.

For more information visit www.dfes.wa.gov.au

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'Import' Gilchrist the model ambassador

Adam Gilchrist, the new face of Tourism WA's latest campaign, at Kings Park for the launch. Source: PerthNow

HE may have arrived as an 'eastern stater' and booed by local fans at his first WA game but Adam Gilchrist couldn't be prouder as the new face of WA tourism.

Almost 20 years after moving from NSW to play cricket with Western Australia, the retired cricket great is front and centre of Tourism WA's latest campaign.

Five WA holidays worth $10,000 each are on offer to entrants in the 1001 Extraordinary Experiences campaign, a photography competition where West Australians can submit photos of their favourite travel spots around the state.

Though Gilchrist was quick to point out today he was no Elle Macpherson - Tourism WA's ambassador in the 1990s whose appointment ruffled some feathers - he said he did now think of himself as a true Sandgroper who truly loved WA.

"I'm an import West Australian but 19 years I have been here now and I don't plan to go anywhere," he said.

"I have visited so many wonderful places within WA since moving here nearly 20 years ago.

"Eagle Bay (where Gilchrist is building a home) is one of my family's favourite spots but there are so many different places and experiences in WA."

Gilchrist submitted his own photo of the sun setting over Eagle Bay in the South-West as part of the campaign launch today, also attended by Tourism Minister Kim Hames.

"We want West Australians and visitors to the State to submit photos and share their extraordinary experiences of WA on a dedicated Facebook page," Dr Hames said.

To enter the photographic competition visit www.westernaustralia.com/1001

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