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As Mark McGowan heads into retirement after six years as premier, leaders across regional Western Australia say he will leave a complex legacy.
Key points:
- Mark McGowan led Labor to unprecedented electoral success across regional WA
- His success came despite numerous unpopular policy decisions
- Analysts say Labor's regional MPs will be left in a challenging position after premier's retirement
Mr McGowan, who announced his resignation yesterday, departs politics with Labor's regional representation and support at an all-time high, holding seats from the state's far north to deep south.
A string of unpopular policy decisions has left many with a deep sense of enmity towards his government.
But the same issues, COVID, the GST and an ineffectual opposition, that won him record support in Perth also saw regional voters back him to an unprecedented degree.
"A lot of people really loved him, and a lot of people really hated him," former Greens MP Robin Chapple — who served alongside McGowan for two decades — said.
"This is the nature of politics."
Praise from friends and foes
As the centre of coal mining and power generation in Western Australia, the government's approach to Collie, 150 kilometres south of Perth, serves as an ideal case study for the Premier's regional standing.
The government's push towards renewable energy and an end to coal mining have left the community facing a reckoning.
But millions of dollars have also been tipped into the town to smooth and accelerate the transition, as well as keep the town's battling mines operating.
"Mark was very strong and very critical if you weren't doing your job properly," long-time Collie-Preston MP Mick Murray said.
"Probably ruled with a bit of an iron rod, to say the least, and if you didn't fit in with that, you didn't get your money — it was as simple as that."
Mr Murray conceded not everyone in his community was happy with the Premier's policy decisions.
"People didn't like those decisions, logging and coal, there's no doubt about that," Mr Murray said.
"But they also respect the world's changing, and they have to move with that."
He said locals appreciated Mr McGowan's decision to turn up in Collie and make the coal and energy transition announcements himself, rather than deferring to a minister or public servant.
Elected four years after Mr McGowan, former Albany MP Peter Watson said he had left a positive legacy in country WA.
"When Royalties for Regions was pushed aside, there was more money coming into the regions," Mr Watson said.
"But it was for all regions — not just National Party ones."
Former Liberal Minister Tony Simpson now heads the Pilbara branch of Regional Development Australia.
He said Mr McGowan's contribution would always be recognised.
"I think you've got to take your hat off; he's done an outstanding job," Mr Simpson said.
"In politics you know there's a red team and a blue team, but I've got admiration and respect for Mark."
Challenging policy record
The Premier's standing in the country got off to a rocky start, with the government's first years in office marked by aborted attempts to close the state's School of the Air and raise the gold royalty as the government pushed to bring the state's finances under control.
A clumsy attempt to seize a partial share in the state's crayfishing industry followed and was also ditched.
While the changes to the gold royalty and School of the Air were sunk by regional MPs in the state's Legislative Council, the Premier — on the hustings in Albany during the 2021 election campaign — insisted Labor's long-held desire to reshape the upper house was not on the government's agenda.
So, when electoral reform emerged as the government's first post-election legislative priority, it spurred further distrust in the bush.
The Premier also departs with significant shortfalls in regional health, with the staffing crisis that grew during WA's pandemic isolation seeing hospitals cutting operating hours and specialist services disappearing entirely.
Speaking in late 2021, the head of WA's Country Health Service said they would not hesitate to further reduce services in remote areas if staff could not be found.
The decision to end WA's native logging industry has also left some regional communities in the state's south wondering what the future holds.
Regional members will need to step up
Notre Dame University political analyst Martin Drum described the announcement as an "earthquake" in WA politics.
"It's going to leave a huge gaping hole and be a whole new chapter," Dr Drum said.
"For many people, Mark McGowan was the government."
That popularity drove Labor's 2021 landslide win, which saw the party win Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton from the Liberals and Nationals.
Unprecedented support in the soon-to-be-abolished Mining and Pastoral, Agricultural and South West regions in the Legislative Council was also secured.
Dr Drum said all of Labor's regional MPs would be challenged by the Premier's absence.
"Those positions are much more vulnerable now," he said.
"Local candidates really need to step up and make their personal pitch much more visible, because they won't have the Premier to do that for them."
Farming lobby delivers parting shot
The Premier's relationship with regional WA's two dominant industries — mining and agriculture — echoes his complex relationship with those outside of Perth.
The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies delivered a glowing tribute to Mr McGowan, a sentiment shared by many in the industry, .
"Our members will especially remember his extraordinary leadership during COVID-19, and his personal commitment to keeping the WA mining and mineral exploration industry opening and operating," AMEC chief executive Warren Pearce said.
But WAFarmers president John Hassell, a former Nationals candidate, said he wouldn't be saddened by the Premier's departure.
"I actually think it's a good thing that he's gone," Mr Hassell said.
"If there was no agriculture and no mining in this state, there wouldn't be a state — I think the Labor party forgets that pretty quickly.
"One would hope [the new premier] would have a better view of country people and want to improve the situation for country people, as well as people in the city."