Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony? - Kwinana ...
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AUTHOR: Paul Murray SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 205,782
PAGE: 38 PRINTED SIZE: 2102.00cm² REGION: WA MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 59,261
WORDS: 1536 ITEM ID: 1405107807
27 FEB, 2021
Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony?
The West Australian (Saturday edition), Perth
Page 1 of 5
PAUL MURRAY
Is Mr Popularity
really just a
one-trick pony?
McGowan’s
riding high on
the pandemic
but his track
record doesn’t
bode well for
when life goes
back to normal
W
anything people from the free to get on with the same
est Australians post-war generations had ever sort of things it did in the first
lived through three experienced. three years.
years of a As pre-poll voting kicks off So let’s go back to 2019 and
pre-COVID era for the March 13 election, it see what the McGowan
McGowan Labor appears Mark McGowan will be Government looked like after
Government which was rewarded handsomely for that two years in power. It seems
nothing out of the box. last bit of his four-year term. many have forgotten.
That was followed by 12 But the worst of the Back to the time of crayfish
months when everything was pandemic might be over by the socialism when Labor tried to
overshadowed by the end of this year. And that take over the WA rock lobster
international battle against the would leave more than three industry and the pertinent
pandemic — a time unlike years of a Labor government question in many business
Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.
AUTHOR: Paul Murray SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 205,782
PAGE: 38 PRINTED SIZE: 2102.00cm² REGION: WA MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 59,261
WORDS: 1536 ITEM ID: 1405107807
27 FEB, 2021
Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony?
The West Australian (Saturday edition), Perth
Page 2 of 5
sectors was this: who’s next? as the centrepiece to last current “rock star” buzz and
What sort of political hubris weekend’s Labor campaign the pandemic clearly came as a
caused that brain fade? Or was launch. How long will that godsend to the McGowan
it a sign of true ideological promise last? Government — which is not to
intentions that got derailed just Skip back a bit further to the say it hasn’t handled it well. It
in time? Darling Range by-election of has. But should voters see
Labor went into the 2017 June, 2018 at which Labor McGowan as more than a
election with a core promise to suffered a massive 9.5 per cent one-trick pony?
“create” 50,000 jobs in its first And what’s up for grabs in
term. But in February 2019 the next four years of Labor?
swing, losing the seat to the That answer is a lot if they
McGowan walked away from
Liberals after the Barry Urban, get control of both Houses of
that number, replacing it with a
pictured below, scandal. Parliament. Cockburn Sound,
grandiloquent plan for 150,000
Things looked even more for example.
jobs over the ensuing five years
weird at that stage, with Labor has wilfully blocked
to 2023-24. Why?
then-Liberal leader Mike any future possibility of a
By October, as the
Nahan claiming that better freight route to
Government inched towards its
poll was a referendum Fremantle — which would also
third anniversary, a Media
on McGowan’s decongest traffic in the
Reach opinion poll was
leadership. southern suburbs — and four
published which revealed that
“Labor’s poor years will be long enough to
promise was struggling as
performance will be enshrine its alternative of a
unemployment grew.
cause to think about
The poll showed the Liberals
some of Mark Kwinana outer harbour and the
marginally ahead and that
McGowan’s destruction of Cockburn
Labor had a problem with
policies and how Sound.
women voters, sparking then
they are While the Opposition might
Opposition leader Liza Harvey
affecting people not be laying too many hits on
to go on the offensive about
in areas such as the Government, some unions
WA’s sluggish economy.
Darling are having a crack in this
Seems weird now, hey?
Range,” The campaign.
“Only 20 per cent of women
West Right from the start, the
believed the State Government
Australian’s maritime union saw the
had created more jobs, as
opposed to 30 per cent of men,” government’s Westport process
it was reported. political reporter Dylan Caporn for what it was — getting to a
“Mrs Harvey (said) . . . — who now works for Labor — pre-ordained result of
women were worried about job wrote after the loss. “While replacing a perfectly adequate
security, mortgage stress, and there were extraordinary port at Fremantle capable of
the state of the economy and circumstances in this campaign another 20 years’ capacity with
Labor had failed on its promise . . . there was also an an expensive and unnecessary
to create more jobs.” Opposition talking about the one at Kwinana.
Blind Freddie could see why Government’s $700 increases The outer harbour will have
to fees and charges over the to jump enormous
past year, and cuts to environmental hurdles to get
McGowan had extended the services.” approved, but Labor will be
150,000 jobs timeframe out Those early broken helped by the acquiescence of
beyond his first term: Labor promises are another
was worried it would become a thing that most
2021 election millstone on his people seem the WA green movement. It has
results up to that stage. to have preferred to trade off some
Unemployment was growing forgotten. It’s degraded bush in Coolbellup
faster than he could say he was amazing and a tiny corner of Bibra Lake
creating jobs. But when the what a $600 wetlands for a sensitive coastal
pandemic struck, all bets were power bill ecology and the passive
off and McGowan axed that bribe can recreation playground that
promise anyway. do. So the generations of West
Now he wants to do it all over early years Australians have enjoyed.
again, setting another new The only stranger labour
target of 125,000 jobs by 2025-26 in government lacked the
Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.
AUTHOR: Paul Murray SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 205,782
PAGE: 38 PRINTED SIZE: 2102.00cm² REGION: WA MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 59,261
WORDS: 1536 ITEM ID: 1405107807
27 FEB, 2021
Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony?
The West Australian (Saturday edition), Perth
Page 3 of 5
y g
movement campaign is the know what is,” Cook said in So were you manipulated at a
Australian Services Union’s October 2014, when Barnett time of high anxiety? Almost
attempt to frighten voters that government ramping hit 1500 certainly.
the Liberals — who no one hours in a month. Two months It’s hardly surprising that
expects to win — will privatise people are reacting like
government-owned energy Pavlov’s dog to McGowan’s
assets like Western Power. ago, it registered 4111 hours
a pandemic rhetoric. That
That claim ignores the fact and McGowan blamed
a psychology has been known for
that the only State Government COVID-19, even though there
C more than 100 years and fear is
to privatise power assets in were no affected patients in
w a very motivating emotion.
recent memory is the current h
hospital or the community. The messages that voters
one. Late in 2017, Labor quietly But in February, 2018, have been fed are the ones the
sold Synergy’s Albany and pre-COVID, ambulance
p Government knows they want
rramping was already 2221 to hear and have been
hours. And it got steadily worse
h conditioned to accept.
Grasmere wind farms, the tthrough h 2019. Crisis anyone? Labor is so poll-driven that it
Greenough River solar project “Mark McGowan and Roger is even testing whether its
and its Warradarge renewables Cook were both incensed in
C attack ads on Liberal leader
project at Eneabba to a 2013 and 2015 when there was
2 Zak Kirkup are creating any
foreign-dominated consortium. much less ramping going on . . .
m sympathy for him. They’re
One of the reasons for that and yet under their watch it has
a not.
privatisation was Ben Wyatt. iincreased dramatically,” In a social era when emotions
He’s not your standard Labor Australian Medical Association
A and feelings override logic,
ideologue, which is why he’s ((WA) emergency medicine rewarding McGowan has
going to a plum job in the rrepresentative David Mountain become central to the election.
private sector after the election. ssaid in March 2019. But what happens when the
But record iron ore prices “They have done nothing to pandemic passes and governing
and the subsequent royalties change that. They don't seem to
c returns to normal?
flood make Wyatt’s books look ttake it seriously.”
better than he deserves. He got It is a supreme irony that
an operating surplus, but debt McGowan is getting massive
M
blew out by $8.3 billion in the ssupport over one health issue
last Budget. tthat might be fixed by year’s
That Budget shows net debt end, but in four years the
e
as a share of gross State State’s hospital system went
product steadily growing from backwards, attracting no
b
11.9 per cent this year to 14.1 penalty. Maybe that’s because
per cent in 2023-24. you can’t fix hospitals by
opinion polling. But you can
close borders.
Despite that, Wyatt’s loss will It was revealed earlier this
be a blow to the McGowan month that McGowan’s
Government’s economic Department of Premier and
credentials. He was its financial Cabinet spent at least $100,000
backbone and internal during the height of the
skirmishing continues over pandemic polling the public’s
who can adequately handle response to new government
WA’s recovery as treasurer. restrictions.
Health Minister Roger Cook The extent to which the
has been mentioned in community sentiment polling
dispatches, but he should not be determined the government’s
in line for a promotion until he COVID strategies and
fixes the mess in his own messaging is unclear. But why
portfolio. do it? The logical conclusion is
In Opposition, Cook that such research was done to
established ambulance ramping gauge what the public would
as the metric by which to tolerate and what messages
measure the hospital system. were working.
“If that’s not a crisis, I don’t
Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.
AUTHOR: Paul Murray SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 205,782
PAGE: 38 PRINTED SIZE: 2102.00cm² REGION: WA MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 59,261
WORDS: 1536 ITEM ID: 1405107807
27 FEB, 2021
Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony?
The West Australian (Saturday edition), Perth
Page 4 of 5
y 27, 2021 3
Let’s go back to 2019 and see what the McGowan Government looked
like after two years in power. It seems many have forgotten.
Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.
AUTHOR: Paul Murray SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 205,782
PAGE: 38 PRINTED SIZE: 2102.00cm² REGION: WA MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 59,261
WORDS: 1536 ITEM ID: 1405107807
27 FEB, 2021
Is Mr Popularity really just a one-trick pony?
The West Australian (Saturday edition), Perth
Page 5 of 5
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