So, Mark “Sneakers” McGowan has announced his shock resignation. But is it, really? Certainly, for many of us it’s come unexpectedly — but that may be only because we didn’t read the signs in distant WA closely enough.
Tellingly, McGowan claims that his sudden resignation is due to “fatigue”. BFD readers will be familiar with that line. It was also played by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, before her resignation.
Less charitable observers might argue that “exhaustion” is the “artistic differences” of politics: the excuse of a leader who’s jumping before they’re shoved.
On the surface, Sneakers (so named because, the story went, he was so far up WA powerbroker Kim Beazley’s ample backside, that his sneakers were all that were visible) was ruling unchallenged after humiliating the Liberal opposition at the last election. Beneath the surface, though, the sands of WA were shifting. Despite McGowan’s undoubted popularity with parochial sandgropers.
For instance, Covid protesters confronted him in public and swarmed his car, calling him a “f***cing coward”. More recently, there were ominous signs that his personal popularity is rapidly sliding in WA. Just two weeks ago, the West Australian (a long-standing McGowan cheerleader) reported that:
His voter approval ratings […] have fallen to the lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The poll found that 63 per cent of respondents were “satisfied” with Mr McGowan — down from 70 per cent the last time the research was conducted in October last year.
Of course, the figure is still high enough to make Mr McGowan the envy of most of his counterparts around the nation.
The same could have been said of Kevin Rudd in 2010. Today, Rudd is a miserable Banquo’s Ghost.
McGowan’s biggest issue is that Covid couldn’t forever paper over WA’s dire straits. Despite record income fuelled by Chinese demand for iron ore — itself a sore point — WA’s economy is in a desperate state, as is its health system.
Such as the crisis in the residential construction industry which has left thousands of West Australians having to juggle rent — or stay with relatives — and mortgage repayments while their dream homes remain incomplete.
Instead of soothing words of concern, Mr McGowan said their predicament was to be celebrated as a sign of the State’s strong economy.
Even worse was his dismissive reaction to the Perth Mint gold “doping scandal” which had the potential to destroy the reputation of a institution almost as old as the State Parliament itself.
Then there have been revelations of unresolved problems at Perth Children’s Hospital after the death of Aishwarya Aswath.
And a juvenile justice system for which the label dysfunctional seems laughable inadequate.
As Dan Andrews in Victoria shows, even the worst premiers can ride high when their opponents are lacklustre. While Andrews still has the pathetic John Pesutto in his corner, McGowan might not be so lucky for much longer.
Meantime, the Liberals’ decision to transfer the leadership to the likeable and hard-working Libby Mettam has been vindicated with her approval rating hitting 24 per cent — well up from the 9 per cent recorded by her predecessor David Honey.
And the previously little-known Shane Love has made an impressive start as Opposition Leader with his plain-speaking, no-nonsense style, particularly in his pursuit of the Government over the Mint saga.
Yes, the polling shows that Mr McGowan still towers above both of them.
But the gap will narrow. He can’t say he has not been warned.
The West Australian
And that’s just it: he may well have taken the warning, and snuck while the sneaking’s good.
Issues that have been on the boil – from a crumbling health system to the constant riots at Perth’s juvenile jail – have escaped serious criticism due to his overwhelming parliamentary majority and enduring popularity with elements of the local press.
The Australian
Peel away the veneer of popularity and McGowan’s legacy is mixed […] the 55-year-old leaves behind questionable records on crime, health, infrastructure, China and social housing […]
McGowan’s loyalties to Beijing undermined national efforts for unified resistance against Chinese coercion, foreign interference and cyber attacks.
It’s constantly said of Australian politics that state and federal politics are totally different creatures. But that’s not entirely true — and in losing McGowan, PM Anthony Albanese is losing a significant asset in a key state.
Mark McGowan’s shock departure from politics inflicts a massive blow to the Labor Party’s prospects at the 2025 state and federal elections […]
Albanese had to wait for the red wave in Perth – where results rolled in two hours behind those on the east coast – to deliver Labor the Liberal seats of Swan, Hasluck, Tangney and Pearce, before claiming majority government on election night.
The Australian
It should not be forgotten that Albanese’s win in 2022 was on the back of the lowest ALP primary vote in over 100 years — the second-lowest in Australian history. In any normal election, a 32% primary vote would spell a landslide drubbing. With the resources industry, which dominates WA, turning on Albanese already, and against the background of a collapsing economy and a divisive referendum, the PM can ill afford to lose such a valuable ally in such a key state.
