Wild wild west

Western Australia has endured an eventful year at the hands of a hubristic premier focused on winning elections instead of delivering services. By Caroline Di Russo.

It’s been quite the year In Western Australian politics: we closed our border at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown, got in a couple of scraps with Clive Palmer, fantasised about secessionism, toyed with mercantilism, and just as we prised open our border ever so slightly, we slammed it shut on South Australia within 24 hours and mid-flight.

The McGowan Government has certainly made hay while the COVID-19 sun has shone.

That said, there is growing concern around the lack of clarity in the health advice and what objective metrics need to be met to further relax border restrictions. Unlike the chief health officers in other states, Dr Andy Robertson is rarely at press conferences and the flow of health information regarding COVID-19 is tightly held and controlled by the McGowan Government. He has been in political witness protection for the best part of six months, lest he espouse further advice which doesn’t align perfectly with McGowan’s ‘hard border’ narrative.

In July, Dr Robertson gave evidence in the Federal Court that there was a less than 1% chance of COVID-19 returning to WA from states with no community transmission. In October, he told a parliamentary inquiry that WA should open to states with no community transmission. This caused a kerfuffle inside the Government, so he issued a statement ‘clarifying’ his position and was promptly returned to the sidelines.  

As late as 15 November 2020, we understood Dr Robertson’s advice to be that another state would be considered ‘low risk’ for the purposes of travel after 28 days of no community transmission. However, this week it was reported that the 28-day time period was apparently not the only consideration and the Government would look to other factors when considering relaxing border restrictions. No substantive detail was given on those other metrics. Ironically, as Andrew Clennell pointed out this week, WA currently has more active cases than NSW and Victoria combined.

It’s becoming apparent the McGowan Government doesn’t want to totally reopen borders because, much like South Australia, it isn’t prepared to handle an outbreak. In October, we had a record number of ambulances ramping at our emergency departments - more than the peak of the 2019 flu season - and only this week, the WA Government announced the SafeWA app to allow for QR checking-in at venues.

Instead of ensuring government services are effective, Mark McGowan appears totally focused on the March election and keeping his COVID-affiliated popularity plump. In September, and just as some of the shine was coming off the hard border narrative, the Department of Premier and Cabinet advertised for 22 spin doctors at a cost of $2.7m to WA taxpayers to keep the narrative bright, sparkling and rolling along.

COVID aside, criticising the McGowan Government takes little effort. It’s the most secretive government since the Brian Burke/WA Inc days with volumes of unanswered questions greater than two terms of the previous Liberal government. They promised no new taxes, yet we got new taxes. They promised to pay down debt, yet debt has increased by a third despite lucrative mining royalties and a 2020 budget surplus. And they haven’t laid a single metre of Metronet despite blowing the budget out by $2 billion.

Like other oppositions, the Liberals have struggled to gain traction in this COVID political environment. This week, Liza Harvey resigned as opposition leader and Zak Kirkup, backed by the party room, became leader. Immediately, he made it clear the Liberals intended to follow the health advice of Dr Robertson, thereby significantly neutralising the overarching political issue from which Mark McGowan owes his ascendency.

The Liberals are lagging in the polls and with an election in March, it is undeniably a hard road ahead. That said, I am optimistic about the change of leadership: there is plenty to be said for a refreshed approach and making Labor reassess its strategy in the face of the border issue being mostly defused. Kirkup might be young but he is articulate, deeply connected to his electorate and has performed very well as opposition health spokesman. He is also a veteran of 14 election campaigns and represents our best chance of maintaining the furniture, making ground and ensuring Labor doesn’t gain the balance of power in the upper house.

Can the Liberals win?

It’s a hard ask but 100-odd days is a long time in politics. Who knows what the gaff-prone Mark McGowan will say or do next in his hubristic pursuit to maintain power.

So, keep an eye on WA – the show isn’t over just yet.

Caroline Di Russo is a lawyer who specialises in commercial disputes, corporate insolvency and reconstruction.