As it happened: WA news on Tuesday, March 11

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

Before we go, a quick recap of what made headlines today:

• WA Police have shot a man who allegedly lunged at them with a knife in Perth’s east on Monday night.

• There were 4948 active property listings at the end of February, 23 per cent higher than a year ago. Houses in Perth are also taking longer to sell, posting a median of 13 days in February, four days slower than a year ago.

• West Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are preparing to sit down for their NAPLAN testing from tomorrow.

• A Perth property developer has called on the re-elected state government to take an even more ambitious approach to its Metronet on the Swan project and include additional ferry stops at Burswood, Belmont and Maylands.

• Famous British YouTuber Yung Filly has appeared in Perth Magistrate’s Court and pleaded not guilty to accusations he raped and choked a woman in her 20s in a hotel room at the start of his Australian tour last year.

• Controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has agreed to pay an undisclosed settlement figure to the children and husband of a Perth mother who died soon after he operated on her incurable brain tumour.

• Police have revealed a drone captured the shark attack which claimed the life of Melbourne surfer Steven Payne near Esperance yesterday. Payne was only weeks into a six-month holiday with his partner and their dog when he was attacked at Wharton Beach. A search for his body continues.

Thank you again for tuning in. We’ll see you tomorrow for more news you need to know.

We’ve got an update on the horror shark attack at Wharton Beach, east of Esperance yesterday, which claimed the life of 37-year-old Melbourne man Steven Payne.

Esperance Police Station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Chris Taylor held a press conference at Wharton Beach earlier, where he revealed Payne, his partner, and their dog were only weeks into a six-month holiday when the tragedy unfolded.

Payne was out in the water with two other surfers he had just met when he was attacked.

Taylor said the search effort was now focused on recovering Payne’s body, and that a drone put up by some young women coincidentally captured the moment of the attack.

[The drone footage] shows a lot of blood, the shark and some other things in there I don’t particularly want to go into, and I don’t think anybody else needs to see, other than maybe the coroner and some other experts who will determine the type of shark and size, etcetera.

Payne’s surfboard, which was covered in bite marks, has been seized as an exhibit for the coroner and will also be provided to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for scientists to test and determine the size and type of shark.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident that occurred in Wanneroo on Sunday March 9, when a man riding an e-scooter on Wanneroo Road lost control and fell off, to come forward.

The man, 41, died at Royal Perth Hospital.

Major Crash investigators are conducting an examination of the scene and are appealing for any
witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report the information online at
www.crimestopperswa.com.au.

Famous British YouTuber Yung Filly has appeared in Perth Magistrate’s Court and pleaded not guilty to accusations he raped and choked a woman in her 20s in a hotel room at the start of his Australian tour last year.

Andres Barrientos was charged with sexual penetration without consent, assault, and impeding a person’s breathing following an alleged incident in his hotel room after he performed at Bar1 in Hillarys on September 27.

Barrientos will be forced to remain in WA while he fights the charges – which police prosecutors flagged would revolve around the issue of consent – and cannot communicate with his millions of followers via social media about the case.

On bail, Yung Filly declined to answer questions from reporters as he exited the courtroom.

His next appearance will be in the Perth District Court in mid-June.

• with 9 News Perth

West Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are preparing to sit down for their NAPLAN testing from tomorrow.

Almost 1.3 million students are expected to take the tests in more than 9400 schools and campuses across Australia.

For the first time since NAPLAN was reviewed and changed to a new system, results of this testing will be able to be compared to past testing to see how a student, and a school, is progressing.

“This year, you will be able to compare how the same cohort of students have progressed in their NAPLAN assessment results since 2023 when the annual test changed,” Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief-executive Stephen Gniel said.

“This will help education authorities, schools, parents and carers to see how Australian children are reaching important literacy and numeracy goals and are progressing against national standards.

“A big thank you to our fantastic teachers and schools across all jurisdictions and sectors for all their efforts to get ready for NAPLAN.”