PINK'S first concert of her 46-show Australian tour kicks off tonight and PerthNow will bring you a live review.
Special guests The Kin will open her first of four sold-out The Truth About Love Tour shows in Perth tonight, with the pop princess expected to be on stage for two hours - which includes her singing in a spinning cage and dangling mid-air from a rope.
Follow the live tweets here and tweet us your own @PerthNow with the hashtag #pinkinperth
The latest trailer for Man Of Steel sees villain General Zod demanding the people of Earth hand over Superman or else
THE offensive Liberal Party dinner menu that compared Julia Gillard to a quail was the catalyst for Russell Crowe to throw his support behind the embattled PM.
"If you wrote that about my mum, or my sister, or my wife, I'd be deeply, deeply offended and I would want to have a serious chat with you,'' Russell Crowe said today after The Man of Steel premiere, in which he plays Superman's father Jor-El.
Jesinta Campbell stuns at The Man of Steel premiere
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"I don't think you have to engage in politics without gallantry,'' Crowe said.
"The office of the Prime Minister is the office of the Prime Minister and whoever is Prime Minister still deserves respect."
Lewd menu "a pattern of behaviour": Gillard
Gillard demands brough's head over menu
In his tweet in support of Gillard, Crowe also gave a shout out to Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull.
Reading between the lines, it seems obvious that Crowe is not a huge fan of Tony Abbott fan.
"You are painting me in a corner, which is your job.
"But all other political personalities aside, Readers Digest just published a list of the most trusted people in Australia - I came in 52nd this time. I am coming up the charts.
"Malcolm Turnbull (at No 68) was the most trusted politician in Australia..
"So I am not the only person who has noticed his facility to hold a position of authority and still hold on to his personal beliefs which is extremely important if you are going to be the leader of a nation.''
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Como hairdresser Angela Ferullo, who was stabbed to death yesterday in her salon. Picture: Facebook Source: PerthNow
PREGNANT stab victim Selina Bello was "so excited" about being a new mum and was looking forward to her baby's November birth.
Police are yet to interview the 48-year-old man arrested yesterday in connection with the stabbing of the two women, Angela Ferullo, 43, and Selina Bello, 22, at their South Terrace hair salon.
Selina's boyfriend today thanked everyone for their kind thoughts, posting on Facebook: "Thank you everyone for your love and prayers."
It is understood Ms Bello is having surgery today.
A RPH spokesman said she was in a stable condition, but would not release further details about her condition or pregnancy.
Her and her mother were attacked inside Ms Ferullo's hairdressing salon on South Terrace about 10.30am yesterday morning.
Flowers laid at the front of the Plush Hair salon on Como where Angela Ferullo and her daughter Selina Bello were stabbed. Picture: Kerris Berrington.
Ms Ferullo died from her injuries and her daughter suffered serious injuries.
Selina Bello. Picture: Facebook. Source: PerthNow
Ms Bello's Facebook page is filled with posts about her pregnancy, showing how excited she was at the prospect of becoming a first-time mum.
Just last week she wrote: "Our baby furniture arrived!!!! Eeek!!."
A few days before that, on June 18, she wrote of how her baby's due date had been moved.
"So my doctor's appointment yesterday informed me my due date had changed…to the 26th November, this baby won't make its mind up!!."
On May 31 she wrote: "Woke up today so excited about this thought, by the beginning of December this year I'm going to be a mummy even though pregnancy is nothing like I thought it would be it's all going to be worth it when I'm holding my little baby in my arms."
Como hairdresser Angela Ferullo died and her daughter Selina Bello was injured after a stabbing in Como. Picture: Kerris Berrington
A close friend of Ms Ferullo, Marylin Davies, who runs the Cartridge World outlet just a few doors down from the salon, described Angela as "a beautiful person and a close friend.''
"She was beautiful, she was bubbly and she was always happy,'' Ms Davies said.
"She was excellent at her job, really excellent, it is just so sad.''
Ms Davies said Ms Ferullo had recently got a job working fly-in-fly-out at a Karratha minesite, but was still helping run the salon when she was back in Perth.
"She had just started that about three months ago and she was really enjoying it.
"But she was my hairdresser, she did my hair and make-up for my wedding. It's only starting to hit home. Yesterday I was thinking this can't be happening.''
Several bouquets of flowers were laid outside the salon today, one with loving message, saying: "Angie, it was too soon, Love Margot.''
Another read: "Rest in peace Angie. Your kindness and support will never be forgotten. Wonderful mother, much respect."
Another read: "Rest in peace Angie. You were a beautiful person."
A mobile police facility was set up just outside the salon entrance just before 11am today and forensic officers continued to swarm over the crime scene.
Ms Ferullo last updated her Facebook page with this haunting post on Saturday:
Stabbing victim Angela Ferullo. Picture: Facebook.
Late yesterday police arrested a 48-year-old man in connection to the stabbing.
The man was arrested without incident after he attended St John of God Hospital in Murdoch yesterday afternoon with self-inflicted wounds.
A police spokesman said this morning the man remained under police guard at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital but had not yet been questioned.
A SCGH spokeswoman said this morning the man was in a stable condition.
Police said yesterday: "The man has serious but non-life threatening injuries and is has not yet been able to be interviewed."
Yesterday, Major Crime Squad detective Gene Pears said there were a number of people inside the salon when both women were stabbed during an altercation.
Police are interviewing witnesses.
"I imagine it was pretty horrific, absolutely, and I feel for the people who were there," Det-Insp Pears said yesterday.
Owners of a nearby business said they were "shocked" and "devastated" by the incident.
A woman has died after a stabbing in Como. Picture: Kerris Berrington. Source: PerthNow
Sidney Brady after being bashed by Allan Ronald James Poland in 2011. Picture: Supplied.
Sidney Brady, who was the victim of a violent bashing in his daughter's Dianella home in October, 2011. Picture: Kaitlyn Offer Source: PerthNow
A MAN accused of a brutal attack on a 91-year-old man has been found guilty by a Perth jury.
Late this afternoon Allan Ronald James Poland, 32, was found guilty on all charges including a charge of aggravated grievous bodily harm against Sidney Brady.
It took the District Court jury nine and a half hours over two days to reach a verdict.
As the jury's decision was read out to the court, there were sighs of relief from members of the Brady family.
Elderly victim gives evidence at assault trial
Sidney Brady, now 91, was brutally bashed his daughter's Dianella home in 2011.
Mr Brady was looking after his daughter Wendy Walker's sick dog while she and her husband went out for dinner.
During the evening he heard a knock at the front door, but before he had a chance to answer it, a man burst through the door and assaulted him.
Today a jury found Poland was that man.
The prosecution argued Poland was the only one forensically linked to the scene.
He admitted to burgling the house, but denied the attack on the basis that there were times when the actions of at least two people he was with that night, his brother and a friend, were unaccounted for, leaving it open for them to have been responsible for the beating.
During the trial, Mr Brady told the jury how he had gone from living an independent life, living alone in a retirement village and practising his violin daily, to needing a wheelchair, being blind in one eye, living with his daughter and needing a full-time carer.
Sidney Brady's daughter Wendy Walker and partner John Bradford speak to reporters outside of the court. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow
The grandfather received two black eyes, the left with a fractured socket.
He also suffered broken ribs, deeps cuts to his right arm, bruising to his chest and leg, and bruising and bleeding on the brain, and spent two months in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
Outisde court this evening, Mr Brady's two daughters said they were happy the family's ordeal was finished.
"I'm just really happy it's over and he's (Poland) found guilty of all the charges," Sharon Sargant said.
She said sitting in on the trial had been traumatic.
"It was horrible," Ms Sargant said. "I just wanted to see who this person was."
Ms Walker's husband John Bradford said Mr Brady now lived with the couple.
"He spent 18 days in intensive care and two months in hospital," Mr Bradford said.
"My wife had to give her job up, I've retired, and it's been a big change of life for all of us.
"The most important thing is Sid is very happy with us at home and we're very grateful for that."
They said they now hoped for a stern sentence to reflect the severity of the crime.
"People can't go around doing these things to an 89-year-old man. They don't think about the victims or even their own families, for that matter," said Mr Bradford.
Mr Brady's relatives also thanked the hospital staff who cared for him and Mirrabooka Detectives.
Poland will be sentenced in October.
Twitter: @KaitlynPST
This video taken on a train from Perth to Clarkson, shows a girl who refused to move her things from the nearby seats, even when asked by a seven month pregnant woman.
The Sunday Times joined two Perth train guards for a ride down the Armadale train line, to see what a night can bring out on Perth trains. Perth transit officers Geoff Rogers (42) and Neil Otway (32). Picture: Matthew Poon Source: PerthNow
FOUL language, sexist and racist comments and rudeness from other passengers have become commonplace for commuters on Perth trains - forcing some passengers to return to choked roads instead.
The Sunday Times rode Perth's five train lines during peak hour and at night, and found commuters were forced to put up with swearing, obscene conversations, passengers who shoved in front of mothers with prams and others who refused to stand for the elderly.
It comes in the same week a video was posted online showing a young woman calling a pregnant woman a "fat f---" because the expectant mother asked her to move her belongings from a seat so she could sit down.
"Not only would people refuse to offer me a seat but the train would be so unbelievably full that I was afraid someone would bump into me. Eventually I chose to drive instead," one Perth commuter named Stacey commented.
Last month, a woman was caught on camera racially abusing a passenger on a train in East Perth. And in May, footage of transit officers breaking up a brawl on another Perth train went viral on social media.
RAC head of member advocacy Matt Brown urged the Public Transport Authority to "adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards this behaviour by fining troublemakers up to $500 and banning repeat and serious offenders from the system".
Many journeys passed without incident, but on other train trips this week passengers were subjected to:
- A tirade of swearing as four men in their 20s loudly discussed how they were going to "f--- up" a rival and "slit his throat".
- A sexist rant between two men, one who said he hated his former girlfriends and wanted to "kill" the mother of his child because "she's a bitch".
- A commuter crush as about 20 people waiting on a platform at Perth station pushed in front of a mother with a pram.
- An elderly woman forced to stand while schoolchildren had their feet on seats.
- A loud conversation between a young man and two young women about masturbation, one simulating sex acts.
PTA spokesman David Hynes said that while more people were filming incidents on phones, "we believe the types of incidents being recorded are on the decline".
"Though you might not always like the look, smell or even language of a fellow passenger, this doesn't mean that public transport is unsafe it simply shows that anti-social behaviour is not restricted to pubs. The media-driven, including social media, perception that public transport is dangerous is not supported by surveys of people who use our services on a regular basis."
Transit officer Geoff Rogers, 42, said every train had posters urging passengers to show respect and "the vast majority do the right thing, though the odd one needs reminding".
Percy Institute of International Protocol founder and etiquette expert Louise Percy said it was "not a youth problem or a public transport problem, but a lack of respect permeating every level of Australian society".
"We're quick to blame kids. Many lack respect but they're not born bad-mannered, they learn that," she said.
University of WA's Centre for Child and Adolescent Related Disorders director Stephen Houghton said young people acted in an anti-social or "non-conforming" way to gain status.
"Reputation is one of the most significant factors why young people behave the way they do," Prof Houghton said. "Engaging in behaviour that would shock or offend, and establishing that reputation because it has status."
The new Chinese Embassy in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: News Limited
AUSTRALIA will fire off a "please explain" to the Chinese Government following evidence of "highly dangerous" worker conditions at its top-secret new embassy in Canberra.
In a move that could strain relations with the communist superpower, China has been accused of playing "Russian roulette" with workers' lives and breaching a confidential agreement.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr has ordered his department to "immediately" contact the Chinese Embassy and raise concerns over safety following an investigation by News Ltd.
A look at the building site. Picture: Gary Ramage
A series of photos - taken by News Ltd photographer Gary Ramage - reveals construction workers operating in what experts claim are highly unsafe "third world" conditions.
In a deal struck while Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister, China is allowed to ship in a team of workers on diplomatic visas to build the embassy - with local workplace safety officers and union officials banned from the site.
Oakes: Labor wonder if Rudd is the answer
But photographic evidence reveals a raft of likely breaches of Australian building standards and occupational health and safety laws.
Workers dig at the site of the new embassy. Picture: Gary Ramage
Three workers are viewed digging a deep overhead trench which has not been reinforced to prevent dangerous cave-ins. Under Australian laws, any trench with a depth of 1.5 metres or more must undergo a series of safety measures.
And two of the three workers also appear to be without even basic safety gear, such as hard hats and other protective equipment.
ACT Work Safety Commissioner, Mark McCabe, said the photos raised "serious concerns" over safety and suggested it showed China's "poor culture" when it came to building standards.
Dean Hall, head of the Construction Forestry Mining and Engineering Union's ACT branch, accused China of playing "Russian roulette" with the workers, who are understood to number around 30 and who are immune from local laws.
"These photos leave little doubt that China is breaching local building and OH &S standards," Mr Hall said, calling for the site - just a few minutes from federal parliament - to be closed down.
"Just taking (the photos) at face value, it would appear to be evidence that the Chinese construction process is not complying with Australian law," Mr McCabe said.
Questions have been raised about the working conditions at the site. Picture: Gary Ramage
He met with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to raise his concerns after being shown copies of the photos.
The revelations of unsafe working conditions comes as China has come under attack - particularly from the United States - for alleged cyber-hacking activities.
Senior US officials in Canberra are deeply intrigued by the new Chinese embassy - which is off-limits to Australian workers and union officials.
A spokesman for the Foreign Minister said the Government "would be very concerned if there were any breaches of OH &S laws".
"The Minister will instruct his Department (DFAT) to raise this matter immediately with the Chinese, in accordance with our agreement with them," Senator Carr's spokesman said.
Despite repeated requests for comment, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra declined to respond to allegations that it had compromised safety conditions on the site, which will act as an extension to its existing consul.
Originally built in the 1970s, the Chinese Embassy was the subject of a mid-1990s scandal when it was revealed Australia had bugged the building - in cooperation with other countries.
A spokeswoman for DFAT said the "arrangement with China requires that the new Chinese Embassy project complies with Australian occupational health and safety requirements. A requirement to comply with ACT building standards, inspections and occupancy certifications has also been agreed".
"In meetings with the Embassy that have been about or touched on this project, we have consistently underlined our expectations on this matter, and if necessary will do so again," the spokeswoman said.
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Brooke Richardson (left) died after her car veered off the road, while Marcus Johnstone lost control of his vehicle killing two passengers. Source: Herald Sun
TRIVIAL text messages sent or read by drivers at the wheel have claimed the lives of at least 20 people on the nation's roads and left many more injured, a News Limited investigation shows.
A man believed to have crashed while texting a smiley face icon to a mate is among current cases being probed by state coroners and police.
Other short messages linked to recent fatal accidents on the nation's roads include "I'll be home soon", and "Hey are you still coming today?".
The News Limited analysis of police, court and coroner's records reveals text wreck victims over the past decade include drivers, their passengers, other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Revelations of the mounting death toll have prompted a coalition of grieving relatives, road safety groups, mobile service providers and others to unite in a bid to stop such accidents.
They are urging News Limited readers to sign a pledge promising not to text behind the wheel, and also to take action to stop friends or family if they see them in the act.
Today we join with families touched by a road tragedy caused by text messaging behind the wheel. Sign this pledge to commit to being a responsible driver and to encourage your friends and family not to text when driving.
Grieving relatives who have shared their harrowing stories hope by highlighting the long-lasting ripple effects a single message can have, they might save other families from similar suffering.
Many of the grieving said the trivial nature of the messages which preceded the fatal accidents made the death even harder to deal with.
Police and road safety bodies admit the injury toll caused by texting drivers is vastly under-reported, with many less serious accidents simply remaining undocumented.
A NSW woman who was lucky to survive last year after she ran under a truck while typing "just finished for the day already whats crakin?" is one of the few known prosecutions nationally for non-fatal texting accidents.
Some studies have shown texting increases the risk of a crash or near crash by up to 15 times for car drivers, and over 20 times for truck drivers.
Concerned authorities in some states are exploring measures such as special new road cameras that can capture photos from up to 500m away of distracted motorists touching their phones.
It is hoped such cameras would allow police to dramatically increase the number of fines issued, and act as a strong deterrent to texters.
Surveys routinely show up to 40 per cent of drivers admit sending or reading an SMS while driving.
Ted Marsh, the father of the victim in Australia's first known case where a driver was prosecuted over a text-messaging death in 2001, said he was disappointed the lesson hadn't been learned.
"People should have worked it out, they should have woken up. Texting and driving is very, very dangerous," he said. "I absolutely urge people to take the pledge not to do it."
Don't do what I did, warns driver
Widow Kylie Stortz, whose husband Jason was struck and killed by a distracted driver in 2009, also urged News Limited readers to sign up.
"People should sign it, definitely," she said. "I hope people will notice what a problem this is, and will do something to make sure their friends, family and other road users stay safe."
NSW woman Vanessa Parry-Williams, who witnessed an accident that killed her cycling training partner, also urged action.
"Parents should get their kids to sign (the pledge). Kids should get their parents to sign. A lot of people need to be guilt-tripped into changing their behaviour," she said.
"It's like people are brain-washed to think it is okay to text all the time, no matter what else they are doing. People are so used to doing it all the time, people need to be shocked out of it."
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, and its members - including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone - have also backed the public pledge campaign.
A SMILEY face icon. An apology for running late. A request for directions. A terse note to an ex over child support. Confirmation of a hair appointment. A promise to be home soon.
These text messages seem no different to the billions of others Australians dash off every year: fleeting missives sent and read in the blink of an eye.
But there is a stark difference. These messages are from among at least 20 cases nationally where an SMS tapped out and sent or read by a distracted motorist has cost a life.
One was just three characters. The longest was 23 words. No matter the length or the content, each driver's decision to text while behind the wheel has triggered lasting and widespread ripple effects - and left devastated families and friends desperate to share a far more vital message of their own.
Brooke Richardson was killed when her car careered off the road, her undamaged phone found at her feet. Source: Herald Sun
VICKI Richardson used to exchange texts with her hairdresser daughter Brooke at least 15 times a day.
Worried that something had happened that dreadful Tuesday morning last December, her first instinct was to send an SMS to her daughter, one that will never be read or answered: "Call ASAP, Brooke, please text me!! I love you."
By the time it arrived, Brooke was already dead. Crash investigators found her phone, not damaged, between her feet in the wreck. A coroner last month found she'd been texting as she drove - arranging an appointment with a client at the new salon she had started working at in Cobram.
"She was only 10 minutes away from work, but she sent a message anyway," Vicki says.
Mrs Richardson has started a foundation with the aim of spreading the "don't text and drive" message - a problem she fears will worsen.
"I think it is going to end up an epidemic," she says. "Kids at primary school are already hooked on phones. What will happen when they get behind the wheel? We have to do something to stop this."
Anthony Marsh who was killed when his pushbike was hit by a car after the driver was distracted using a mobile phone. Picture: Rob Leeson Source: Herald Sun
TED Marsh stood on the courthouse steps a decade ago and called for a $500 fine and six demerit points for drivers caught texting.
Mr Marsh's super fit son, Anthony, was run over and killed by dentist Silvia Nicole Ciach as she tried to send a message - "cu1" - to a friend she was meeting at 1pm.
The court case, believed the first of its kind nationally against a texting driver, was hailed as a stark warning to all drivers.
But 10 years on, the toll is growing.
A News Limited investigation has unearthed details of at least 20 fatal text-related crashes in that time. There are at least two current coroner's investigations into text-related deaths underway nationally.
Police admit the problem is vastly under-reported, with investigators often finding it difficult to conclusively prove a driver was texting behind the wheel.
Mr Marsh despairs at the number of people he still sees texting.
"Ten years later, people should have worked it out. It's not something new anymore, people should have woken up. Texting and driving is very, very dangerous."
Around the nation, researchers, road safety agencies, police and others are puzzling over how to persuade drivers to put away their phones.
While driver attitudes to speeding and drink-driving are improving, distractions from technology are getting worse.
About 40 per cent of drivers between 18-24 routinely admit in surveys to sending or reading texts while driving.
And all the while, the toll mounts.
His ex-wife, Anthony's mum Joyce Simpson, feels sick when she sees drivers texting behind the wheel, which happens frequently.
"You look, and you think, 'if only you knew what you could cause for yourself, and your family, and someone else's family'. You wish you could throw their phones away."
The latest reminder of her son's death was her step-daughter presented her with an orange ribbon, distributed by hairdresser Brooke Richardson's mum to promote safety awareness.
"I realised there are so many other people in the same situation as us," Joyce says. "Please, put the phone away. We don't want any more."
Graham Denton, a 52-year-old father-of-three, was killed while riding his bicycle when a motorist texting on his mobile phone ploughed into him on the Pacific Highway at Lake Macquarie near Newcastle. Source: Herald Sun
SCAFFOLDER Jason Rippard wishes every day he hadn't picked up his phone to check an earlier message to his ex-wife had been sent properly.
As he prepares to leave jail next month to rebuild his life, he's already spreading the message behind bars to other drivers to put their phones away, and plans to continue doing so once released.
His mum, Christine, admits she used to text before her son's accident but has stopped after seeing her son's life disintegrate after he ploughed into father-of-three Graham Denton.
She's not complaining, just explaining, when she says the crash has wrecked Jason's life, and the difficulty it has caused in her own.
"It's not something he's dismissed. It's something he'll live with for the rest of his life," she says.
"He's done a couple of talks to driver offender courses, and he wants to still go and do it even after he's left jail."
Jason's son is 10 years old. He complained recently about not enough time with dad. Christine says Jason told his boy "you are lucky, in a few weeks I'll be home for good. Some other children don't have their dads".
Jason Stortz was killed by a texting driver while riding his bike at Yallah near Wollongong in 2009. Picture: Tracee Lea Source: Herald Sun
KYLIE Stortz's son Harry was only 16-months-old when his triathlete dad Jason, out riding his new bike, was killed by an under-age, unlicensed, texting driver at the wheel of his new Ford Falcon.
Her son has just turned five. There are daily reminders of his dad's absence.
"I had to fill in forms at pre-school, was asked to put down dad's details. What do you do?" Kylie says.
"My son asks me 'mum, who will look after me if you go to heaven like dad?' Or he'll just ask things like 'did my dad like to eat this food?'. That's stuff he should just know because his dad should still be here."
No one knows exactly what happened in the accident, with the young driver a reluctant witness and his female passenger telling police she couldn't assist either - because she had been concentrating on her own phone at the time of the collision.
Helen Gledhill survived after her car was hit by a texting driver, killing her best friend Lee-Anne McLennan (right). Picture: Tanya Lynch Source: Herald Sun
CRASH survivor Helen Gledhill's passenger didn't know what hit her, either.
Helen was driving along with her best friend since grade four, Lee-Anne McLennan, when a green car appeared in front of them. A coroner later found the young male driver was distracted by texting.
Helen says a smashed ankle and elbow from the incident have left her unable to care for her 12-year-old disabled son, and the crash has virtually ruined her life. She missed her best friend's funeral - and has missed her every day since.
She's unable to work, and a compensation payout intended to fund future surgeries she'll need has affected her Centrelink benefits.
"I'm not physically capable of looking for work. I can't type long, write long, walk long, sit long."
She was too scared to get in a car for some time, and has to take a valium before she can get in the passenger seat. "I couldn't even teach my own teenage son to drive," she says.
DRIVER education is the key, authorities believe, to stemming the texting toll.
As the number of cases continues to mount, police and road safety groups want young and old alike to regulate their own behaviour - turn off the phone before they get in the car and not touch it.
Several states have recently launched - or are about to - campaigns specifically targeting texting.
But the Centre for Road Safety's Marg Prendergast knows there is a long road ahead to break the modern obsession people have with instant communication.
"People have to realise it is so dangerous. Not just young people, older people too. Everybody. Sending or reading, it doesn't matter. It can wait. That's the message. It can wait."
SIGN THE PLEDGE HERE
Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe kicks the Dockers forward against North Melbourne. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: Herald Sun
WHILE North Melbourne's failed 2013 campaign will be remembered for coughing up leads and wilting at the game's crescendo, the Kangaroos barely got out of the starting gates as its season officially became a lost cause.
Fifteen days after its nightmare capitulation amid a Gold Coast deluge, North Melbourne again had no answer as it confronted a Perth storm and a dour but irrepressible Fremantle outfit.
There was no lead for the Kangaroos to blow this time, kicking just four goals on a dirty day.
The Dockers asserted themselves with a five goals to one first half before getting home by 38 points at Patersons Stadium.
Unbeaten in its last eight games, Fremantle moved ominously into third spot ahead of an intriguing showdown with Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Saturday night.
SuperCoach scores, stats
Like in their last outing at Metricon Stadium, gaining field position was again an issue for the Roos as they were restricted to a paltry 12 inside 50 entries when the game was effectively decided in the first half.
While the diligent inside work of Andrew Swallow and Ryan Bastinac gave the Roos the edge at stoppages, they had no answer for a disciplined Dockers outfit whose pressure was first class.
Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley went to Brent Harvey and the pair were at it from before the opening bounce, with the Dockers agitator requiring a pit-stop to change his ripped guernsey.
Kangaroos coach Brad Scott soon decided he would prefer the match-up took place in attack, with Harvey moved forward in a bid to hurt his opponent on the scoreboard in a contest where every goal was going to be precious.
The teams looked set to produce the first goalless opening quarter of the season until Docker Michael Barlow fittingly soccered through a major deep into time-on.
Aaron Mullett got the visitors on the board early in the second stanza but it would be the only North Melbourne goal of the first-half.
Fremantle controlled the second term and continued to find avenues to goal despite the continuing absence of spearhead Matthew Pavlich.
But Nat Fyfe, Jack Hannath, Chris Mayne and Matt de Boer combined to string together the four consecutive second-term goals that went a long way to breaking North's back.
The sun came out for the second half and things were immediately looking up for the Kangaroos when Harvey converted early in the third term.
The 35-year-old soon undid his good work through undiscipline, giving away a 50m penalty for slapping at Crowley's throat as a spiteful personal battle continued to simmer.
Michael Johnson kicked a simple goal to steady Fremantle and put a halt to any North Melbourne revival.
It came at the same ground where Harvey earned himself six weeks of bans after losing his cool in last year's elimination final mauling at the hands of West Coast.
Lindsay Thomas, who had just four touches and went goalless for just the second time this season, was subbed out for late inclusion Brad McKenzie entering time-on of the third quarter.
North turned around the momentum in the third term, but didn't get adequate reward for their 16-9 edge in forward entries as Freo continued to find quick answers.
Dockers livewire Michael Walters, right in contention for a maiden All-Australian guernsey before suffering an ankle injury a month ago, was subdued on his return but dribbled through his only goal seven minutes into the last quarter to push the lead beyond five goals.
Both sides went in without a prime mover, with Ben Cunnington a late withdrawal for the Kangaroos for personal reasons.
Key Freo midfielder David Mundy was withdrawn with a calf problem.
Clive Palmer tried to recruit Glen Jakovich. Picture: Ben Robinson Source: PerthNow
WEST Coast Eagles champion Glen Jakovich has turned down an offer to join Clive Palmer's new political party, even after the billionaire flew him to Brisbane to be wined and dined at an exclusive club.
The two-time premiership defender told The Sunday Times he had a "lengthy meeting" with Mr Palmer a few weeks ago. He liked his ideas, but he didn't have the time to enter federal politics.
Mr Palmer has already recruited several big-name sporting identities to the Palmer United Party. Among them are former rugby league champion Glen Lazarus and former AFL star Doug Hawkins.
Jakovich said Lazarus was also at the swanky United Service Club in Brisbane CBD when he met Palmer.
"I spoke to him. It was a lengthy meeting (and) I liked his ideas," he said. "But I decided there was too much going on in my life. I also have a young family."
He also hosed down media speculation he was in financial trouble. "There is no truth in it," said the man whose wealth is estimated at between $700 million and several billion dollars.
"I can say to everyone in Australia I have no debts personally and our companies have no debts. So we don't owe anyone any money. That's what it boils down to."
Mr Palmer said Jakovich still had two weeks to make up his mind.
He said that he would run candidates in all 15 WA federal lower house seats, as well as the Senate.
So far, the only two people who have been signed up to contest WA seats for Mr Palmer are educator Teresa van Lieshout for Fremantle and university academic Chamonix Terblanche for the Senate.
Mr Palmer said Jakovich would have been a great catch.
"Glen is a great guy. He said he had a strong commitment to WA," Mr Palmer said. "He particularly raised with me the problems in Perth. Of the different communities and ethnic groups and the problems with law and order around Perth where a lot of youths had lost their way and direction. He said something had to be done about it."
In Perth this week, Mr Palmer said he had strong links to WA.
Much of his wealth comes from the $400 million sale of magnetite iron ore mining rights at Cape Preston near Karratha in 2006.
Mr Palmer said his success in mining proved he would be no lightweight in the political world.
Mr Palmer labelled Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott "hopeless".
He said his plan for WA was to inject $8 billion into the state's health service, with particular emphasis on palliative care.
He also believed there should be commonwealth backing for the stalled Oakajee Port project and a review of the GST carve-up for WA.
Charlene Hordyk has been nominated for a Pride of Australia Award. Picture: Ross Swanborough Source: PerthNow
DOCTORS have told her she can't go into the sun for two years because her burns are so severe.
But firefighter Charlene Hordyk, left with burns to a fifth of her body after battling a blaze near Albany that killed a fellow firefighter, dreams of once again being able to play beach cricket with her little brother Liam under a golden sun.
That dream is the inspiration for her remarkable recovery - a recovery that surprised doctors and saw her return to work just months after the October 12 fire that claimed the life of mother-of-three Wendy Bearfoot.
Today Ms Hordyk, 25, speaks about the ordeal for the first time after being nominated for a Pride of Australia medal.
Ms Hordyk and Mrs Bearfoot were members of a DEC crew engulfed by flames when a freak wind-change trapped them in their fire trucks at Two Peoples Bay. Both women were flown to Royal Perth Hospital in a midnight mercy dash for emergency treatment under the care of burns specialist Fiona Wood.
"I cannot go in the sun for two years," she said.
"I have to have laser surgery on my hands because the scarring is not breaking down as it should. It's a setback, but I'm thankful that I have access to this kind of treatment.
"The nurses at the burns unit said to have a dream and keep thinking of that. (Mine is) that I will one day play cricket with my nephews and little brother down the beach again."
For the first six months after leaving hospital she needed three-hour scar massages every day and pressure bandages all day, every day. She still needs the bandages and occasional scar massages.
A conservation worker since 2008, she has had to swap most of her physical tasks such as weed spraying and animal trapping for a more computer-based role.
She said she owed her life to her DEC superior Shaun McHenry. "We were in the truck together," she said. "Without him leading me out I wouldn't be here today."
Ms Hordyk is nominated in the courage category - aimed at recognising those who have overcome personal adversity through determination and strength of character in the Pride of Australia awards, run by The Sunday Times' publisher News Limited.
To nominate someone for Pride of Australia, go to: www.prideofaustralia.com.au
