Michelle Stanley
Karratha, WA
A rural and resources reporter based in the economic powerhouse of Australia, Michelle covers primary industries across the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions of WA.
Latest by Michelle Stanley
Mining companies, towns brace for second WA pilot strike in six months
Network Aviation pilots will stop work for 24 hours on Thursday impacting passengers across regional Western Australia who fly with the Qantas subsidiary.
Remote teachers' unforgettable trip to school by plane after floodwaters cut off Pilbara town
Two British teachers are flown to their first day of school in Western Australia's outback, assisted by police and ADF, after flooding forces road closures.
Driest year on record for parts of WA's Gascoyne region, as pastoralists face dire drought conditions
Livestock producers in northern WA are bottle feeding calves and cutting back their herds, as devastating drought and market conditions collide.
WA gold mine suspends processing operations after tailings dam cracks detected
Newmont's Telfer gold mine is forced to suspend processing after "cracking and seeping" is detected at a tailings dam, about 200 kilometres east of Marble Bar.
Re-opening of historic WA roadhouse flattened by cyclone delayed by break-ins and 'sabotage'
The owners of Pardoo Roadhouse, which suffered millions of dollars' worth of damage during Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa last April, say they have been "devastated" by a string of break-ins hampering their rebuild.
Fortescue Metals Group rail operations to resume after multiple car derailments in Pilbara
Normal railway operations for Andrew Forest's Fortescue Metals Group are expected to be up and running again on Wednesday after an incident on the line between Newman and Port Hedland on Saturday suspended operations.
Multi-billion-dollar bid to turn Pilbara's red dirt to green steel
Australia's iron ore industry goes hand-in-hand with China. But it is a South Korean company looking to stump up billions of dollars for this green iron facility.
Traditional owners want mining boss sacked after 'two-storey high mound of earth' dumped on artefacts
A lawyer for Yugunga-Nya traditional owners believes loopholes in WA's legislation will allow Sandfire Resources to escape prosecution for disturbing sites near Meekatharra.
Emotional reunion as dog lost for days in wilderness after car crash is reunited with injured owner
After fleeing a crash that left his owner with serious neck injuries, Clancy the blue heeler spent seven days lost in bushland.
Indonesia poised to resume live cattle imports from Australia
While no formal agreement has been reached, the government says recent discussions have been positive, after the prime minister raised the matter with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo.
Investigation underway after woman stabbed, man dies in WA
A crime scene has been established and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Pilbara lithium processor pitches green fuel for pilot plant
A Pilbara miner is trying to harness renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions from the very lithium it produces for products such as electric vehicle batteries.
'Absolutely appalling': Bad roads leave WA drivers scared, but simply fixing the existing damage may take a decade
Road train driver Heather Jones says steep drops from the edge of road bitumen are contributing to crashes as the state government concedes it could take 10 years to clear its maintenance backlog.
Anger at Andrew Forrest's mining company's decision to switch off mobile coverage
A prominent Pilbara pastoralist calls for a "gesture of goodwill" from Fortescue Metals Group after it switched off a remote phone tower in the middle of a mobile black spot.
Cattle industry heads back to court with Commonwealth over live export ban
Australia's cattle industry says the Commonwealth's offer of compensation over the 2011 live export ban was "not within a bull's roar" of the cost on producers, so will fight it out in court.
Farmers 'paralysed with fear' and authorities flooded with calls over WA's new Aboriginal heritage laws
Western Australia's planning authorities are fielding an average of 25 phone calls and 50 emails a day from landholders confused over the state's new Aboriginal heritage laws.
Focus on livestock tracing intensifies under new strategy to protect agricultural industry
Australia's agriculture minister says improved monitoring for animals from farm to killfloor will help protect producers from biosecurity threats and appease consumers keen to know the origins of their meal.
WA's largest pork producer 'shocked' by mass pig deaths on supplier's farm
Linley Valley Pork says it is deeply concerned by animal welfare issues on the property, where hundreds of pigs have died in recent days.
Authorities investigate mass pig deaths at WA property
The government confirms animal welfare inspectors have attended a Wheatbelt piggery in response to a developing animal welfare situation.
From Vietnam to Sydney to Darwin: The Nguyens came for a holiday and stayed 10 years
Buying a mango farm while on holiday has brought its fair share of challenges, but the Nguyen family haven't looked back.
Renewed calls for improved workplace safety as resources industry grapples with spate of deaths
Sharon Westerman lost her son in a mine incident seven years ago. Each time a person dies on a Western Australian work site she is transported back to that horrific day.
Multi-million dollar clean-up continues after 'mind-boggling' damage to Pardoo Station
When Scott Fraser arrived at Pardoo Station from inland Queensland, he was not expecting to face one of Australia's most severe cyclones.
Farmers support closing firearms loophole 'abused' by some recreational shooters
Outgoing WA Premier Mark McGowan says the "property letter" system will be overhauled as part of the state's gun law reform.
First Nations leaders want to ensure remote communities are not left behind with renewable energy expansion
Billions of dollars is poured into mining in remote Australia, so why don't the lights stay on in nearby communities?
Threat of devastating cattle disease outbreak 'much less likely' than previously thought, modelling shows
A lumpy skin disease outbreak making its way from Indonesia to Australia could cost our cattle industry more than $7 billion a year, but new data shows there's reason to be "alert but not alarmed".