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Federal election 2022: McGowan backs Albanese to lead Australia

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Josh ZimmermanThe West Australian
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Anthony Albonese and WA Premier Mark McGowan at Labor’s official launch in Perth.
Camera IconAnthony Albonese and WA Premier Mark McGowan at Labor’s official launch in Perth. Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian

Premier Mark McGowan has declared he is “completely in-sync” with Anthony Albanese as he sought to distance himself from Scott Morrison during Federal Labor’s official campaign launch at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Mr Morrison has been at pains during the election campaign to emphasise his good working relationship with Mr McGowan, while assuring WA voters this month’s poll is a referendum on Mr Albanese and not the historically popular WA Premier.

But in some of his strongest criticism of the Coalition to date, Mr McGowan left little doubt about who he would prefer to lead the country for the next three years.

The WA Premier received a pair of rowdy standing ovations – first as he entered a room packed with Labor faithful for the first time alongside recently elected SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, and then again as he took to his feet to introduce “the next Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese”.

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Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (r).
Camera IconAnthony Albanese with WA Premier Mark McGowan at Labor's official election campaign launch in Perth. Credit: AAP

After talking up WA’s economic success during the COVID pandemic, the WA Premier took aim at the “Liberals and Nationals, and their fellow traveller Clive Palmer” over attempts to tear down the State’s hard border.

“And can you believe, that after all that, the Liberals would still do a (preference) deal with Clive Palmer?” Mr McGowan said.

“There are no excuses for striking a preference deal like this, with someone like Clive Palmer.

“To be that desperate and blatant, it’s an insult to every Australian. And especially every Western Australian.

“The Liberal Party hasn’t learnt its lesson, and has clearly lost its way.”

By contrast, Mr McGowan said Mr Albanese had “always stood by Western Australia and supported the tough decisions we had to take”.

The WA Premier also sought to neutralise one of the Coalition’s most persistent lines of attack – that it is a better economic manager than Labor.

Pointing to WA’s own position – the only State forecasting Budget surpluses across the next four years - Mr McGowan said it was “Labor Governments that best manage our economy and responsibly manage our finances”.

“The evidence is in, and it’s beyond reasonable doubt, the Liberals and Nationals can’t manage money,” Mr McGowan said.

After leaving some of his Federal colleagues fuming over his decision to appear at a jovial press conference alongside Mr Morrison shortly prior to the starting gun firing on the election – and offering only a lukewarm endorsement for Mr Albanese – Mr McGowan was far more effusive in his praise on Sunday.

“I’ve known Anthony for a long time,” he said.

“He is one of the most senior and experienced figures in the nation. He is resilient. He is authentic.

“He is the real deal. He has boundless energy. He is a fundamentally decent person – driven by empathy and a deep sense of civic responsibility.

“And I have every confidence, he will make a fine Prime Minister and a great partner for Western Australia.”

Mr McGowan labelled Mr Albanese a “student of history” and said he understood Western Australia, and the State’s historic importance not only to the economic strength of the nation but to the Labor party itself.

He joked the pair were “completely in synch” – so much so they “both caught COVID on the same day”.

“We are both proud poodle owners – his is Toto, mine’s Georgie,” Mr McGowan said.

“Both of us have been on a diet for some time, and lost a fair bit of weight... but, no matter how hard we work at it, neither of us look like Peter Malinaskus.”

Reacting to Mr McGowan’s speech, Federal Attorney-General Michaelia Cash accused the Labor of trying to “deceive” WA voters over preferences.

“The Liberal Party in Western Australia has placed Clive Palmer last on every how to vote card in this State,” Ms Cash said.

“But Labor has been weak by not putting Palmer last on a single how to vote card in WA.

“And of course Labor has done another a preference deal with the Greens. Just like in 2010 to 2013, a Labor-Greens Government will be a disaster for Western Australia.”

While Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party has been preferenced last by the Liberals across WA, the same is not true across the country.

Liberal how-to-vote cards encourage supporters in Victoria and Tasmania to place the UAP second on their ballot paper, third in NSW and Queensland and fourth in SA.

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