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PM briefing: Bombshell claims about Attorney-General, post-lockdown restrictions lift and Cook urged to resign

The West Australian
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Roger Cook, Eagles fans and John Quigley.
Camera IconRoger Cook, Eagles fans and John Quigley.

Labor’s Kate Doust has dropped a bombshell in Parliament, accusing Attorney-General John Quigley of ‘direct intervention’ in a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation.

More general public tickets for Sunday’s West Coast game will be released tomorrow after WA Premier Mark McGowan confirmed capacity restrictions would be lifted this weekend.

One of WA’s most senior regulators of Crown has admitted he was no expert in casinos and didn’t even want the job, during his evidence to the Perth Casino Royal Commission.

The Opposition is demanding Roger Cook accept ultimate responsibility for the tragic death of Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital by immediately resigning as Health Minister.

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And Willie Rioli is prepared to submit to regular drug tests to prove he can break the cycle of cannabis use in a bid to resuscitate his AFL career.

Here are the top five stories on The West Australian this afternoon.

WA Attorney General John Quigley.
Camera IconWA Attorney General John Quigley. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

Labor MP drops explosive A-G ‘intervention’ claims

Labor MP Kate Doust has dropped a bombshell in Parliament on her last day as the Legislative Council President, accusing Attorney-General John Quigley of “direct intervention” in a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation.

Ms Doust, who is the wife of McGowan Government cabinet minister Bill Johnston, was ousted from the presidency after she lost the support of Labor’s caucus following the party’s landslide election victory in March.

It comes after she clashed with Mr Quigley and Mark McGowan over the CCC’s attempt to access the contents of the laptop and hard drives of disgraced former Liberal MP Phil Edman.

Read the full story here.

Eagles fans.
Camera IconEagles fans. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

Crowd cap lifted in time for Eagles game

West Coast will be able to host a capacity crowd for Sunday’s match against Adelaide after WA Premier Mark McGowan confirmed restrictions would be lifted this weekend.

This afternoon’s announcement also means fans heading to the football will no longer need to wear masks on public transport to and from the game or at the venue.

Sunday’s match will take place a month to the day since the most recent WA game with a crowd, which saw 54,159 people attend the Eagles’ round five win over Collingwood.

Read the full story here.

WA chief casino officer Mark Beecroft.
Camera IconWA chief casino officer Mark Beecroft. Credit: Perth Casino Royal Commission

WA chief casino officer admits he’s ‘no expert’

The State’s current chief casino Officer – one of the most senior and powerful regulators of Crown’s multi-billion dollar gambling operation in Perth – has admitted he is no expert in casinos, during his evidence to the Perth Casino Royal Commission.

Long-time public servant Mark Beecroft took over the role as chief casino officer in February this year, after his predecessor Mick Connolly stepped aside over revelations of his long and close friendships with senior Crown staff.

Those friendships included regular fishing trips and Mr Connolly even sold a $13,000 boat to one of the casino’s top legal and compliance team — at the same time as he was supposed to making sure that Crown was complying with the strict rules set down by the State Government.

Read the full story here.

Roger Cook and Libby Mettam.
Camera IconRoger Cook and Libby Mettam.

Cook ‘clearly out of his depth’ as Health Minister

The Opposition is demanding Deputy Premier Roger Cook accept ultimate responsibility for the tragic death of Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital by immediately resigning as Health Minister.

Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam moved a motion in Parliament to condemn Mr Cook for failing to take proper responsibility for the circumstances and events leading to the seven-year-old’s death.

Labor used its numbers in the Lower House to block the motion, but not before the Opposition delivered a scathing assessment of Mr Cook’s capacity as Health Minister and continued refusal to accept the hospital system was in crisis.

Read the full story here.

Willie Rioli.
Camera IconWillie Rioli. Credit: Robert Cianflone/via AFL Photos

Rioli’s extreme measure to save AFL career

Willie Rioli is prepared to submit to regular drug tests to prove he can break the cycle of cannabis use in a bid to resuscitate his AFL career.

Rioli is awaiting a West Coast decision on his future, with the Eagles letting the dust settle after he escaped conviction after a sniffer dog detected cannabis on him in Darwin Airport.

The Eagles football department are aware their board might take the issue out of their hands given his continued issues, which come after a two-year ASADA ban.

Read the full story here.

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