‘Kinder, sweeter’: McGowan gloats about WA’s ‘gentle’ media while fronting business leaders

Former premier Mark McGowan has hailed Western Australia’s “kinder, sweeter and gentler” media landscape among its key benefits while addressing business leaders at a summit in Perth.

In a rare public appearance — his first since calling time on his political career — McGowan gloated about everything from the state’s triple-A credit rating to its gas reservation policy while selling WA to interstate attendees at the Business Council of Co-operatives Leaders’ Summit.

McGowan at the 2024 BCCM Leaders’ Summit in Perth on Wednesday.Credit: Daryl Charles.

The outlawing of poker machines, toll-free roads and iron ore-fuelled surpluses made the list, as did the state’s housing affordability relative to Sydney, above-average salaries and the fact WA produced around half of the country’s exports with just 11 per cent of the population.

“We have this thing called surpluses, and we pay down debt. We’re optimistic, forward-looking, and we’re internationally focused,” he told business leaders at the Ritz-Carlton in Perth on Wednesday.

But he reserved special praise for the state’s diminished media landscape, which he claimed was “less ugly” than its eastern states counterparts.

“We’re less ugly than the eastern states, and by that, I mean our media environment is kinder and sweeter than the eastern states,” he said.

“It’s not dominated by hostile talkback presenters and that relentless negativity that you see from some parts of the media in the east.

“Here it’s kinder and sweeter and gentler and nicer.”

Western Australia has the most concentrated media landscape in the country, predominantly owned by billionaire businessman and media mogul Kerry Stokes — proprietor of The West Australian and the Seven Network.

McGowan was depicted as a superhero by the publication during the pandemic for his decision to close the border and the state’s budget surplus, appearing on the front page of The West as ‘Captain Westralia’, Buzz Lightyear and fictional wizard Harry Potter.

The state’s only daily newspaper also backed the former premier in his row with Clive Palmer by depicting the mining magnate as a toad and a cockroach.

Text messages unearthed during the Palmer defamation trial exposed the strength of the relationship, with Stokes and McGowan joking about the “marvellous” front pages.

McGowan urged business leaders to relentlessly engage with and educate politicians, public servants and regulators to inform public policy and to do so by leveraging the economic benefits and jobs they provide.

He said he believed the nation was “tracking well”, with an inflation rate under 3 per cent, low rates of unemployment, jobs growth, a world-class public health system and a “mature” democracy.

The 57-year-old supported the idea of having a portfolio dedicated to overseeing co-operatives and drew on his experience guiding WA through the pandemic when advising businesses on how to navigate a crisis.

McGowan, who became colloquially known as ‘State Daddy’ during his tenure, told the summit he had no regrets about his decision to leave public life and was enjoying his return to normality.

“Because I was doing Facebook and ABC24 live for years [during the pandemic], and everyone’s watching, the recognition level was just off the charts,” he said.

“You really can’t go anywhere without someone taking a photo or saying something to you, and by the end you get a bit punch-drunk by it.

“I didn’t want to do it anymore … I just wanted to go back to being a bit normal.

“I think [relevance deprivation syndrome] hits people who leave politics or business when they don’t want to, but I didn’t suffer from it because I’d done everything I wanted to do.

“By the end, I’d had enough, and I got out on my own terms, so no: I don’t really regret it or miss it.”

McGowan called time on his career in May 2023 after almost three decades in politics and has since avoided the public eye.

During his time as premier, McGowan enjoyed an approval rating of 91 per cent on the back of his hard-border stance and led the WA Labor Party to the biggest election victory in Australian history.

He has since picked up a host of private sector roles, including with Mineral Resources, BHP, and consulting firm Bondi Partners.

The 57-year-old was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent achievement in June.

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