Mornings with Simon Beaumont

Despite ranking as the 6th strongest economy WA is regarded as one of the big improvers in CommSec's latest State of the States report. 

Using the latest available information, the CommSec State of the States report provides an economic snapshot of how Australian state and territory economies are performing in the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

WA has lifted from seventh to joint sixth position on the economic performance rankings and continues to edge away from eighth-ranked Northern Territory.

WA is ranked second on relative economic growth and third on equipment investment but is ranked seventh on four indicators.

CommSec Chief Economist Craig James told Gareth Parker the biggest losers were Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

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WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts says the nature of the alleged child sexual abuse offences in the southwest region and the standing of the perpetrators in the community has been a shock.

Minister Roberts also said the Opposition's calls for reforms to the bail act stop anyone charged with a sex offence being released on bail would be considered.

 

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Farmers and tourism operators have written to the Federal Government pleading for backpackers to be allowed into Australia to harvest crops, care for children and travel. 

National Farmers Federation CEO Tony Mahar joined Gareth Parker to explain their proposal to safely allow backpackers to travel and work in Australia. 

 

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Education Minister Sue Ellery says she is worried about the number of knife incidents in WA schools because it is never acceptable, but the increased reports are not surprising. 

Minister Ellery told Gareth Parker there wasn't strong evidence more dangerous weapons were being brought to schools, but a campaign from the Department of Education had created a greater emphasis and security around reporting incidents.

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Phil Slade is a psychologist and the author of "Going ApeS#!t". He says we all have moments where we go 'ape....' and lose our cool over something that might actually be really minor. 

Phil told Gareth Parker we can have control over our ape and make better decisions if we learn a few techniques. 

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The Telethon Kids Institute is recruiting Perth families for a trial to explore if better communication between parents and their babies can reduce or prevent problems caused by autism and developmental disorders.

Professor Andrew Whitehouse, Director of CliniKids at the Telethon Kids Institute, told Gareth Parker early communication between babies and their parents was critical.

He said right from birth communication plays a pivotal role in early childhood development.

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Federal Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial relations Christian Porter joins Gareth Parker every Wednesday at 9.30am. 

This week the Minister spoke about WA's unusual jobs market, his views on WA's border and cyber-security concerns for Australian politicians.

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Owner of Aoki Hair in Mt Pleasant Jenni Spence told Gareth Parker she can't find reliable employees to help her meet demand at her business. 

Jenni says JobSeeker is too generous and is acting as a disincentive for people to work. 

Jenni's conversation also sparked listeners from different industries to share their own frustrations looking for workers.

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City of Canning Councillors will tonight vote on whether to increase their clothing allowance from $1500 over a three year term to $4250.

Mayor Patrick Hall joined Gareth Parker to explain the current clothing allowance and the agenda for tonight's meeting.

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More and more people are using white noise to help them sleep.

Now research suggests that there is no good evidence to suggest that the method is scientifically proven to be effective.

Dr Kathy Maddison, senior research fellow and sleep specialist at UWA, says awareness around the importance of sleep is rapidly growing.

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