Hamish Hastie
Hamish Hastie is WAtoday's state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.
- Exclusive
- Crime
WA’s 1200-kilometre trail of stolen copper cable could stretch from Perth to Exmouth
Main Roads has revealed widespread outages are often linked to stolen copper cables. Here’s what it intends to do about it.
- Holly Thompson and Hamish Hastie
Latest
- Opinion
- WA budget
$100 will barely fill my tank, but I’ll take free money when its on offer
The headline of today’s budget was a novel $100 “fuel support payment” that will only just be enough to fill my the tank of my Ford Focus once with maybe enough left over to get a cheese and bacon traveller pie with sauce.
- Hamish Hastie
Burswood racetrack cost unmoved despite warnings over Iran conflict’s impact on construction
The estimated cost of the Perth Park remains unchanged in Thursday’s budget papers, with $104 million to be spent by June and $113.5 million to be spent next year.
- Hamish Hastie
- Updated
- WA budget
WA drivers get $100 to top up their tanks under $1 billion of budget sweeteners
Every West Australian driver will receive a $100 “fuel support payment”, as the state posted its eighth straight operating surplus of $3.5 billion.
- Hamish Hastie
- Analysis
- WA budget
Labor has already hurled billions at WA’s spot fires. What’s left in the budget?
Pick the political thorn in the side of the Cook government and West Australian Treasurer Rita Saffioti has already fired the money cannon at it.
- Hamish Hastie
Albanese rules out gas tax during WA visit, but east coast reservation not far off
The prime minister gave the commitment at a Chamber of Minerals and Energy breakfast at the Westin Perth, which was interrupted when three Disrupt Burrup Hub protesters stormed the stage.
- Hamish Hastie
‘Lipstick on a pig’: WA’s ‘Seven Cities’ regional housing plan panned
Critics say a plan to inject more than 500 new houses into WA’s Government Regional Officer Housing Program using money from the state’s biggest miners was an admission Labor had dropped the ball on regional development.
- Hamish Hastie
Greens and Pocock butt heads with energy giants at Perth gas tax inquiry
The inquiry was cordial but had its tense moments as Greens senators and independent senator David Pocock grilled Woodside and Chevron executives, as well as the head of the industry’s main lobby group, Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch.
- Hamish Hastie
Rio Tinto forgoes delivery of 8 million litres of diesel to grow WA stockpile
Premier Roger Cook said he received the unsolicited fuel offer from Rio Tinto’s iron ore chief executive Matthew Holcz earlier this week.
- Hamish Hastie
- Updated
- Energy
WA Greens MP ejected as oil and gas giant feels the heat from climate activists
Climate activists have repeatedly disrupted a gathering of shareholders at Woodside’s AGM in Perth.
- Derek Rose, Aaron Bunch and Hamish Hastie