Former Perth reality TV stars release family statement amid domestic violence allegations

Four days on from the removal of a whale carcass from South City Beach, there have been no shark sightings near the area in the past 24 hours, but the beach remains closed.

The 31-tonne humpback whale was removed on Thursday, but concerns remain that sharks could be attracted to the area for days or even weeks, due to the smells still lingering in the sand and water.

The carcass initially drew multiple, large great white sharks to the shallows.

There were no reported shark sightings or detections off the Perth coast in the past 24 hours, but a whale has been sighted south of Mandurah, about 500 metres offshore at Pyramids Beach.

The wife of Sam Wood has issued a statement on her Instagram this morning after the reality TV star was arrested at the weekend and charged with alleged domestic violence offences.

Snezana and Sam Wood met on The Bachelor in 2015 and, until last year, had lived in Perth with their daughters.

They released this statement on behalf of their family this morning.

“This is a difficult time for all of us, we are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities”.

Here’s what’s happening across the nation and around the world today:

The second week of school holidays will start out mostly sunny and warm with Tuesday being the pick of the days. But a decent front will deliver us rain on Thursday.

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog for this Monday, the 5th of October 2026.

Making headlines today, Western Australia’s famed beaches “have to be safe for people to enjoy”, Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas says, as debate continues over the response to a whale carcass that washed ashore at City Beach last week.

The dead humpback whale washed ashore on Monday, but was spotted in the days before floating between the mainland and Rottnest Island, with sharks feeding on the carcass.

Zempilas said the state government’s shark mitigation strategy should be reviewed to get a “full picture” of the current situation.