Skip to main content

WA leader Mark McGowan launches extraordinary attack on NSW and accuses new premier Dominic Perrottet of being an 'appalling' treasurer: 'They never stop whingeing'

Mark McGowan has taken an extraordinary swipe at New South Wales' Dominic Perrottet and the entire state itself just moments after he was sworn in as the state's premier.

The Western Australian Labor leader blasted the former treasurer for his 'appalling' financial management and said if it wasn't for the Golden State, NSW would be broke.

Their bitter war of words comes as tensions flare over the redistribution of GST revenue and after premier Perrottet recently labelled Mr McGowan the 'Gollum of Australian politics'.

Mr Perrottet was sworn in on Tuesday following Gladys Berejiklian's shock resignation on Friday after it was revealed she is now at the centre of corruption probe.

But Mr McGowan wasted no time attacking his NSW counterpart, saying he hadn't congratulated him as he 'wouldn't know his number' and there had been so many premiers in the eastern state that he 'can't keep track of them'.

Ms Berejiklian was in the role for nearly five years. 

'The NSW government has been very poor financial managers, they now have massive deficits and massive debts, they managed Covid very badly and you can see the consequences,' Premier McGowan said.

'So instead of looking in the mirror, they look west to blame us for their situation.

'The reality is that if it wasn't for our efforts to keep Covid out and keep our industries open, the huge bailout with about a billion dollars every week going to NSW would not be possible.'

NSW's economy has been much harder hit by the pandemic as the closure of international borders cut off the supply of tourists, international students, and business travel.

Western Australia was far less affected as the vast majority of its revenue comes from mining and oil and gas and it receives far fewer tourists.

Mr McGowan accused the 'whinging' Liberal leader of trying to undermine WA's split of the roughly $65billion divvied up between the states and territories every year.

At the moment WA, with its lucrative resources sector, is redistributed 70c for every dollar it puts in, while NSW receives about 96c.

'To be frank with you, I'm tired of listening to their whinging,' Mr McGowan said.

'They never stop whinging and the reality is we have supported them far more than they have supported us.'

Mark McGowan (pictured right with wife Sarah at the Brownlow Medal) expects a stoush with rival state NSW over GST revenue

Mark McGowan (pictured right with wife Sarah at the Brownlow Medal) expects a stoush with rival state NSW over GST revenue

The Western Australian Labor leader blasted the former treasurer for his 'appalling' financial management and said if it wasn't for the Golden State, NSW would be broke. Pictured: FMG Solomon mining Hub in the Pilbara

The Western Australian Labor leader blasted the former treasurer for his 'appalling' financial management and said if it wasn't for the Golden State, NSW would be broke. Pictured: FMG Solomon mining Hub in the Pilbara

Even though a Commonwealth review of the GST split is not due until the 2025-26 financial year, the state leaders are already feuding over the hugely divisive issue which has long been a sticking point among WA residents.

Mr McGowan said that instead of criticising WA, Mr Perrottet and the rest of the east coast should be grateful.

'Gratitude is in short supply over there, but we will continue to keep our industries open and keep providing huge support to those eastern states and continue to prop up their economies,' he said.

'He's (Mr Perrottet) been the treasurer for however long but NSW financial performance has been appalling.

'We did our budget recently with a $5.8billion surplus, while they've got deficits in the tens of billions of dollars, so clearly we won't cop any stick from them.'

The WA premier neglected to mention that Mr Perrottet delivered multiple budget surpluses before the pandemic wiped out NSW's international revenue sources.

Dominic Perrottet (pictured with wife Helen) described the WA Premier as the ' the Gollum of Australian politics'

Dominic Perrottet (pictured with wife Helen) described the WA Premier as the ' the Gollum of Australian politics'

NSW economy has been decimated during the Covid lockdown. Pictured: A pedestrian in a protective face mask crosses a quiet street in the city centre during a lockdown on September 28, 2021

NSW economy has been decimated during the Covid lockdown. Pictured: A pedestrian in a protective face mask crosses a quiet street in the city centre during a lockdown on September 28, 2021

When asked if he had congratulated the new NSW premier, he replied: 'I wouldn't know his number.'

'He's a relatively young man so I assume he'll be around in the role - though NSW premiers change pretty quick, so many I can't keep track of them, they're like prime ministers,' he went on.

'So I assume he'll be around for a while and clearly his sights are set on undermining our revenue and GST.'

Mr Perrottet on Friday compared the WA leader to Gollum, referring to the depraved Lord of the Rings' character. 

'Mark McGowan is the Gollum of Australian politics,' Mr Perrottet told Sky News.

'You can just picture him over there in his cave with his 'little precious' - the GST.' 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has assured WA will keep its fair share of GST revenue.

'I was the first Prime Minister to ensure that Western Australia got their fair share of GST and stood up to all those who opposed it,' he told The West Australian. 

The WA Premier has ignited a war of words with NSW Premier front runner Dominic Perrottet (pictured in Sydney on Monday)

The WA Premier has ignited a war of words with NSW Premier front runner Dominic Perrottet (pictured in Sydney on Monday)

'My government fixed it and my government will protect it. The only person Western Australians need to worry about is Anthony Albanese who in government never acted to fix WA's GST allocation.'

But the state opposition aren't convinced. 

'We know Scott Morrison was as thick as thieves with Gladys Berejiklian and he will be the same with Dominic Perrottet,' shadow trade and resources minister Madeleine King said.

'There's every chance he'll entertain and look at winding back WA's fair share of the GST.'

Assistant shadow minister Patrick Gorman fears Mr Perrottet has 'WA's GST squarely in his sights.'

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Girl, 6, who fell 120ft to her death on mine drop ride at Colorado amusement park was NOT buckled in and operators missed alarms

A six-year-old girl died after being ejected from her seat on a ride at a Colorado amusement part when the operators missed alarms.  Wongel Estifanos, of Colorado Springs, was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado with her family when both operators missed her seatbelt that it was improperly buckled on September 5.  The ride, which drops passengers 120 feet, is equipped with a two belt seatbelt system - a neuro bar and a standard seatbelt - to keep riders safe. It is not equipped with a shoulder harness.  The Garfield County Coroner's Office said the little girl died from multiple blunt force injuries after being ejected from the ride because operators failed to notice that she was sitting on her seatbelts.  Wongel Estifanos, six, of Colorado Springs , was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado when both operators missed her seatbelt being improperly buckled on September 5 The Haunted Mine Drop drops riders ...

NYC public school teachers make emergency Supreme Court application to block Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect at 5pm Friday

New York City public school teachers have asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order to block Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect Friday.  The group of four teachers sent a petition to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that the mandate not only places an 'unconstitutional burden' on the city's 148,000 school workers, but also 'threatens the education of thousands of children.'  The petition argues that their rights are being violated because they do not have the option to undergo regular COVID-19 testing instead of getting the shot. Other essential workers - including NYPD cops - have been given that testing option instead. Teachers across all public schools in the Big Apple have up until 5pm Friday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs.  When the school day starts the following Monday - October 4 - all teachers and staff arriving for work across the city's public schools must have rec...

Policeman who shot dead a knife-wielding Indigenous mother in the street was not a 'trigger-happy' officer, murder trial hears

The murder trial of a policeman who shot dead an Indigenous woman on a suburban West Australian street is set to hear further witness evidence. As many as 60 people could be called to testify in the WA Supreme Court trial of the first-class constable, whose cannot be named for legal reasons. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 29-year-old woman, known as JC for cultural reasons, in the Mid West town of Geraldton on September 17, 2019. JC, a mother-of-one, had experienced mental health and drug problems and recently been released from prison before her death. The accused was one of eight police officers who arrived at the scene after JC was spotted with a large knife and a pair of scissors. Family and supporters of a woman, referred to as 'JC' at family's request, leave the District Court of West Australia in Perth As the trial got underway on Tuesday, the jury was shown confronting CCTV footage of JC being shot while surrounded by four police vehicles. Director of Pu...