Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Premier Mark McGowan showed what leadership looks like in a crisis. He unified West Aussies during their darkest days and saved thousands of lives. My community of Swan witnessed this firsthand. In the navy he learned to serve and protect Australians. During the pandemic he served and protected Western Australians. Not once did he think about the politics, unlike former prime minister Scott Morrison. McGowan was everything that Scott was not. Morrison said it wasn't a race—it was a race. Morrison said it was not his job—McGowan stood up and did his job. Morrison stood up for Clive Palmer—McGowan stood up for WA.

Leadership is knowing when to call it quits. Morrison's Liberals are starved of talent, and Labor is awash with talented men and women. We in the west see this: in the member for Tangney, a former WA Police Officer of the Year and dolphin trainer; the member for Pearce, a community leader and a mayor for 12 years; the member for Hasluck, a distillery owner who's worked for the UN. Some might think an engineer is needed in parliament. WA Labor is awash with talent, and I know the new WA Labor premier will serve the state with diligence and compassion. I look forward to continuing to be a partner in Canberra and fighting for our fair share of the GST. I'll call it: McGowan is the greatest premier in living history.