McGowan keeps his distance as Albanese whips up support

An attempt by federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese to lend his support to Mark McGowan’s re-election efforts has fallen flat.

Anthony Albanese, right, and opposition trade spokeswoman Madeleine King at the Kwinana nickel refinery south of Perth. Picture: Getty Images

An attempt by federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese to lend his support to Mark McGowan’s re-election efforts has fallen flat, with the West Australian Premier ­instead choosing to spend the day campaigning hundreds of kilometres away.

Mr McGowan, who enjoys unprecedentedly high levels of public support, spent Thursday in the regional cities of Albany and Busselton while Mr Albanese — whose leadership has been under scrutiny — instead appeared ­before the media without any of his local counterparts.

The pair will finally sit down on Friday for a private meeting in Mr McGowan’s office. But in a sign of their contrasting political fortunes they are not scheduled to appear in public together.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, meanwhile, will not visit Western Australia during the campaign, leaving Liberal leader Zak Kirkup to battle on his own.

Mr McGowan said on Thursday that he did not know if he would be seen publicly with Mr Albanese. “I think I’m having a meeting with him in my office,” he said. “He is welcome in Western Australia, as is indeed the Prime Minister.”

Mr Albanese denied he had been snubbed by the Premier, but noted there had been some “more difficult circumstances” around his visit. “Mark McGowan is a friend of mine. He’s been a friend of mine for a very long time,” he said.

The Premier’s decision to leave Perth nine days before the state election was seized upon by Mr Kirkup.

Mr McGowan has come under fire this week firstly over his short-lived proposal to extend various border restrictions beyond the pandemic, and then over comments in which he questioned the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

“After a couple of days of bad media, he’s down in regional Western Australia trying to avoid Anthony Albanese and probably further public scrutiny,” Mr Kirkup said. “It’s very disappointing the Premier has effectively fled the city after what’s been a couple of days of difficult media for him, rather than actually explain to the people of Western Australia exactly what he meant.”

Mr Kirkup’s own campaign has received little in the way of support from federal colleagues.

Less than half of the federal Liberal MPs and senators based in the west attended the party’s campaign launch on Monday.

Mr Kirkup’s campaign has also been plagued by dissent from some traditional Liberal-backers. Ronald Woss, a foundation member of the state Liberal Party’s fundraising organisation, The 500 Club, has quit the organisation after arguing that the party had abandoned its principles and was controlled by powerbrokers Peter Collier and Nick Goiran.

Billionaire property developer Nigel Satterley sponsored a lavish fundraising dinner for the Labor Party at Perth’s Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on Thursday night. Fellow prominent Perth property developer Adrian Fini — whose family has long had connections to the Liberal Party, but who has donated only to Labor in recent years — was expected to attend, along with several disgruntled members of the 500 Club.

Mr Kirkup dismissed the ­significance of the fundraiser, ­describing it as a normal part of the election process.