Mark McGowan became the 30th Premier of WA, following an Australian Labor Party landslide win at the March 11th 2017 elections. He succeeds Colin Barnett, who led WA as Premier for 8 and a half years, from 2008 until March 2017.
Mr McGowan was born in Newcastle, and got his education in country New South Wales before attending the University of Queensland. He subsequently worked as a legal officer for the Royal Australian Navy, serving at naval base HMAS Stirling, south of Perth. Remaining in Western Australia, McGowan served as a councillor at the City of Rockingham from 1994 until his election to the Legislative Assembly at the 1996 state election, representing the seat of Rockingham. After the 2005 election, he was elevated to the ministry, although he had served as a Parliamentary Secretary since the 2001 election. McGowan became opposition leader and leader of the Labor Party in January 2012. His party lost the 2013 election, but McGowan remained Leader of the Opposition, and led Labor to a landslide win at the 2017 election. On 17 March 2017, he was installed as the 30th Premier of Western Australia.
Early in his premiership, McGowan promptly committed to limit the number of pathways for foreign workers to enter WA. Mr McGowan has, however, maintained a good public relationship with the Filipino migrant community. He has regularly attended the annual Philippines Independence Day Ball held around June 12th, as well as The Grand Filipino Fiesta -Perth WA, a spring
calendar yearly event.
Speaking at last year’s Philippine Independence Day Ball, Mr McGowan commended the Filipino worker, citing the economic and social contribution of migrant Filipinos to the WA community all the way back to the 1890s when the so-called Manila men came to Broome to work in the pearl diving industry.
Presiding over the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies of 70th Year Celebration of Philippines Australia Bilateral Relations Exhibit at the Filipino Clubhouse in Bedford WA on 29th October 2016, Mr McGowan expressed to The Pinoy Strayan, “If I win the elections, as Premier I will be traveling to The Philippines.” #TPS
