As it happened: WA news on Wednesday, March 25

We’re bringing our live blog to a close for the day, thank you for joining us.

Here’s a recap of some of the day’s headlines:

• A 39-year-old man has been charged by police after allegedly setting fire to a car yard in Welshpool last month.

• A Clarkson woman faced Perth Magistrates Court today, accused of corruption after allegedly helping a person she was in an intimate relationship with bypass WA’s public housing waitlist.

• The WA Police Union will vote on sacking its board next week.

• The Town of Bassendean has abandoned the controversial sale of its popular council-run Wind in the Willows childcare centres after the only interested party, Cha Cha Cha Group, pulled out of the deal.

• Tropical Cyclone Narelle is officially back, having re-intensified into a category 1 system off the Kimberley coast about 8am this morning. The storm is predicted to cross the coast as a “severe” system.

• The City of Kwinana says it has made the “difficult decision” to cancel the Alcoa Children’s Festival scheduled for this weekend as Tropical Cyclone Narelle bears down on the WA coast.

• Fremantle Docker Patrick Voss says he has publicly apologised to Melbourne’s Harrison Petty after seemingly mocking him as a “crybaby” during the match on the weekend.

• Western Australia’s answer to Burning Man is set to go ahead despite ongoing concerns about fuel supply in the Wheatbelt ahead of harvest.

Thank you again for tuning in today – we’ll see you back here tomorrow for more news you need to know.

Businesses and tourist attractions are closing throughout WA’s Mid West region in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Narelle to cross the coast on Saturday.

Restaurants, cafes, and retail stores throughout Kalbarri, Shark Bay, Carnarvon and as far south of Geraldton have announced their plans to close for the weekend in preparation for the cyclone.

Residents have been asked to prepare their properties by clearing their gutters, tying down loose furniture and become familiar with the cyclone warning system, with some locals even calling in sick to make sure they can prepare their homes for the heavy wind and rain.

A number of national parks across the Mid West and Gascoyne have also been closed and plan to close as a precaution, including the following:

• Nanga National Park (South Peron National Park)
• Coalseam Conservation Park in the Shire of Mingenew
• Kennedy Range National Park (Mundatharrda National Park) in the Shire of Carnarvon
• Nyinggulu Coastal Reserves (Warroora Coast) in the Shire of Carnarvon and Shire of Exmouth
• Nyinggulara National Park (Ex-Ningaloo) in the Shire of Exmouth
• Park Closure for Cape Range National Park in the Shire of Exmouth
• Edel Land National Park in the Shire of Shark Bay
• Francois Peron National Park in the Shire of Shark Bay
• Dirk Hartog Island National Park in the Shire of Shark Bay
• Monkey Mia Conservation Park in the Shire of Shark Bay

And more. How are you preparing at your place? Send us your plans at news@watoday.com.au.

The City of Kwinana says it has made the “difficult decision” to cancel the Alcoa Children’s Festival scheduled for this weekend as Tropical Cyclone Narelle bears down on the WA coast.

The event was due to be held on Calista Oval on Saturday, but the city said in a statement this afternoon it has been cancelled for safety reasons.

“Due to extreme weather, it is not possible to safely deliver the event, with many rides activities and marquees unable to be installed or run in high winds or extreme rain,” a spokesperson said.

“The safety of our community, staff, vendors and performers is our highest priority.

“We understand this event is highly anticipated and the cancellation is disappointing for many families. We thank the community for their understanding and ongoing support.”

The city thanked Alcoa and Lotterywest, and its vendors.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned strong winds and rain can be expected throughout Perth at the weekend as Narelle passes east of the city.

The WA Police Union will vote on sacking its board next week.

A special meeting has been called by the union’s members after years of ongoing issues at WA police with understaffing, sky-high attrition rates and violence they face on the job.

The meeting was requested by at least 100 members, and will vote on whether the union should dissolve its board.

The motion said members had “lost confidence in its governance, transparency, and decision-making”.

If the motion is successful, the union will proceed to elect a new board.

The meeting will be held on April 1 in Perth.

A Clarkson woman will face Perth Magistrates Court today, accused of corruption after allegedly helping a person she was in an intimate relationship with bypass WA’s public housing waitlist.

Detectives from WA Police’s financial crimes squad charged the 55-year-old with one count of public officer acts corruptly in performance/discharge of functions after arresting her last week and seizing an electronic device.

Police allege the woman was employed in a public office role in Mirrabooka – understood to be connected to WA’s housing department – when she created a housing offer for a social housing applicant she was in a relationship with, “bypassing a significant number of applicants on the wait list”.

Financial and cyber crime division Detective Superintendent Peter Foley said the alleged conduct represented a serious breach of trust, and undermined the fair administration of public resources.

“People who abuse the authority of their position, including those trusted to fairly and equitably manage housing resources, create an unfair disadvantage for the wider WA community,” he said.

“Applicants on the social housing waiting lists can wait up to five years. This includes vulnerable people with high-priority needs, such as those experiencing homelessness or domestic violence.”