McGowan legacy hailed by miners, but Covid critics welcome Premier’s exit

Mining billionaire’s Gina Rinehart and Chris Ellison have hailed the outgoing WA Premier’s political legacy, but lockdown enemies such as Clive Palmer have welcomed his departure. 

WA Premier Mark McGowan’s shock exit from the state’s top job has been met with sharply divided opinions in the WA business community, with resources heavyweights lauding Mr McGowan’s leadership during the pandemic, and the Premier’s enemies – including Clive Palmer – hailing his departure.

Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart said Mr McGowan’s tough stance during Covid-19 had helped keep the state’s mining sector operating through the pandemic, describing the outgoing Premier as a “strong advocate” for WA.

“Premier McGowan well understood that investment and development is the key to the success of West Australia, and to maintaining living standards,” she said.

“During the pandemic, he worked successfully to keep the resources sector operating, which powered both the West Australian and Australian economies and kept hundreds of thousands of people directly and indirectly employed during a very difficult time.”

Mrs Rinehart’s comments were echoed by fellow mining billionaire Chris Ellison, who said Mr McGowan had led a government “focused on solving problems and working with business to get things done”.

“Western Australia is without a doubt a stronger and more successful state because of Mark’s hard work and pragmatic leadership,” he said.

But WA maintained a locked border to the bulk of the rest of Australia for almost 700 days during the pandemic, and Mr McGowan’s insistence on strong border restrictions made him plenty of enemies in other sections of the business community.

Queensland mining billionaire Clive Palmer is chief among those, with the pair swapping defamation suits in the wake of Mr Palmer’s failed High Court challenge to WA’s border restrictions in 2021.

Mr Palmer has also been at war with the WA government over its decision to pass retrospective legislation to block a $30bn lawsuit over a stalled iron ore mine in the Pilbara.

The Queensland businessman is still pursuing the issue against the federal government in arbitration in Singapore through international trade laws, seeking $US198.2bn in damages under the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade agreement.

Mr Palmer told The Australian Mr McGowan’s resignation was “a win for WA”.

“Time will tell the true cost of the damage he has caused the state. From his lockdowns which robbed WA citizens of their freedoms and economic prosperity to his personal vendettas against fellow Australians, he has failed the people he was elected to serve,” Mr Palmer said.

“I am confident in the coming years it will be revealed that Mark McGowan’s tenure has caused more destruction and pain on its people than any other premier in Australia’s history.”

Flight Centre chief executive Graham “Skroo” Turner also contemplated legal action against Mr McGowan’s government during the pandemic in an effort to have border lockdowns declared unconstitutional.

On Monday, Mr Turner said he was not at all sorry to see Mr McGowan go, and suggested he apologise for lockdowns and border closures before he leaves.