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Premier Mark McGowan has announced he will step down as Western Australia’s 30th premier on the eve of his third decade in politics.
During a major press conference at Dumas House in Perth on Monday, McGowan told a packed press room, flanked by the ministers of his government and his wife Sarah, he would also step down as the Member for Rockingham.
This week would be his final week in the WA parliament.
While convinced WA Labor would win at the 2025 state election, McGowan said he did not have the energy or drive to continue in the role.
“The truth is I’m tired, extremely tired. In fact, I’m exhausted,” he said.
“The role of political leadership doesn’t stop, really it comes with huge responsibility.
“It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, I have been considering it for quite a while.
Mark McGowan announces he will step down as WA premier.Credit: Hamish Hastie
“I’m honoured to have led the WA Labor Party for as long as I have.”
He said his only ambition was for the ambition for the state was for it to become the strongest, most economically successful it could be and that he had no regrets about his time in office.
McGowan told the press conference it would be up to his parliamentary colleagues to choose his successor before exiting to a round of applause.
While McGowan declined to be drawn on how he thought he would be remembered, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would be celebrated for seeing the people of WA through one of the most challenging crises in the nation’s history.
Albanese congratulated McGowan on his retirement, saying he was leaving as he led, on his own terms and as his own man.
“He has been a great Premier of his proud state, an extraordinary leader for WA Labor and a trusted friend,” Albanese said.
“In unprecedented times, Mark always held to his convictions and always sought to do the right thing by his state.”
The formal naval officer made his foray into politics back in 1994, after being elected as a councillor for the City of Rockingham.
Two years later, he was elected to the seat of Rockingham and went on to become parliamentary secretary to then-premier Geoff Gallop.
He served as a minister in both the Gallop and Carpenter governments before rising to the role of Labor leader.
McGowan was appointed the 30th Premier of WA in 2017 in what was hailed as WA Labor’s biggest ever victory.
But the much-vaunted win was dwarfed by WA Labor’s landslide in 2021, which reduced the Liberals to just two seats in the legislative assembly and gave the party total control across both houses of parliament.
McGowan’s popularity was bolstered by his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, revered for his tough stance and rapid border closures credited with safeguarding the state’s economy and mining sector.
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