Mark McGowan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Mark McGowan AC
McGowan in April 2014
30th Premier of Western Australia
In office 17 March 2017 – 8 June 2023
Monarch	Elizabeth II Charles III
Governor	Kerry Sanderson Kim Beazley Chris Dawson
Deputy	Roger Cook
Preceded by	Colin Barnett
Succeeded by	Roger Cook
Treasurer of Western Australia
In office 18 March 2021 – 8 June 2023
Preceded by	Ben Wyatt
Succeeded by	Rita Saffioti
Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party
In office 23 January 2012 – 6 June 2023
Deputy	Roger Cook
Preceded by	Eric Ripper
Succeeded by	Roger Cook
Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia Elections: 2013
In office 23 January 2012 – 17 March 2017
Premier	Colin Barnett
Deputy	Roger Cook
Preceded by	Eric Ripper
Succeeded by	Mike Nahan
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Rockingham
In office 14 December 1996 – 8 June 2023
Preceded by	Mike Barnett
Succeeded by	Magenta Marshall
Other ministerial offices Minister for Public Sector Management In office 17 March 2017 – 19 March 2021 Preceded by Bill Marmion Succeeded by Roger Cook Minister for Education and Training In office 13 December 2006 – 23 September 2008 Premier Alan Carpenter Preceded by Ljiljanna Ravlich Succeeded by Liz Constable Minister for the Environment In office 3 February 2006 – 13 December 2006 Premier Alan Carpenter Preceded by Judy Edwards Succeeded by Tony McRae Minister for Disability Services In office 13 October 2005 – 2 March 2007 Premier Geoff Gallop Alan Carpenter Preceded by Bob Kucera Succeeded by Margaret Quirk Minister for Tourism, Racing and Gaming In office 10 March 2005 – 13 December 2006 Premier Geoff Gallop Alan Carpenter Preceded by Nick Griffiths Succeeded by Sheila McHale John Bowler Minister for the Peel and South West In office 10 March 2005 – 23 September 2008 Premier Geoff Gallop Alan Carpenter Preceded by Norm Marlborough Succeeded by David Templeman
Personal details
Born	(1967-07-13) 13 July 1967 (age 58) Newcastle, New South Wales
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Sarah Miller ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	3
Residence	Rockingham, Western Australia
Education	Casino High School Coffs Harbour High School
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Profession	Lawyer politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Royal Australian Navy (1989–1996) Naval Reserve (1996–present)
Years of service	1989–present
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	HMAS Stirling
Awards	Commendation for Brave Conduct

Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is a former Australian politician who was the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 to 2023. The premier is the leader of the government in an Australian state. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and represented the area of Rockingham in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1996 until he retired in 2023.

McGowan was born in Newcastle, New South Wales. He studied at the University of Queensland and then worked as a lawyer for the Royal Australian Navy. He was based at HMAS Stirling, a naval base near Perth. After settling in Western Australia, he was elected to the City of Rockingham council in 1994. Two years later, he was elected to the state parliament.

From 2005 to 2008, McGowan was a Cabinet Minister, which is one of the most important roles in the state government. In 2012, he became the leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia and the Leader of the Opposition. This means he was the leader of the main party not in power.

In 2017, McGowan led the Labor Party to a huge victory in the state election. He became the premier and was very popular. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his leadership was widely supported. In the 2021 election, he led his party to an even bigger win, which was one of the largest victories in Australian history. He stepped down as premier in June 2023.

From Student to Naval Officer

Mark McGowan was born in Newcastle, New South Wales. He went to public schools in Casino and Coffs Harbour. He later earned degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Queensland. In 1984, he joined the Australian Labor Party, inspired by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

In 1989, McGowan joined the Royal Australian Navy as a legal officer. He served at the naval base HMAS Stirling and reached the rank of lieutenant. In 1996, he received a Commendation for Brave Conduct. This award was for rescuing an unconscious driver from a burning car in 1995.

Starting a Career in Politics

After moving to Western Australia, McGowan was elected to the City of Rockingham Council in 1994. A year later, he became the Deputy Mayor. He was then chosen to run for the state parliament seat of Rockingham in the 1996 election.

When Labor won the 2001 election, the new Premier, Geoff Gallop, made McGowan his Parliamentary Secretary. This is an important role helping the premier. In 2005, after Labor won again, McGowan was promoted to be a minister in the government. He was in charge of tourism, racing, and gaming.

Later, under Premier Alan Carpenter, McGowan became the Minister for the Environment. He helped create the Department of Environment and Conservation and approved the important Gorgon gas project. In 2006, he became the Minister for Education and Training. In this role, he worked to bring back traditional marking in schools and find more teachers.

Leading the Opposition

McGowan speaking at a rally in 2014

After Labor lost the 2008 election, the party leader, Alan Carpenter, resigned. McGowan chose not to run for leader at that time. Instead, he supported Eric Ripper, who was elected as the new leader. McGowan became the Shadow Minister for State Development and Manager of Opposition Business.

In January 2012, Eric Ripper stepped down as leader. McGowan was then elected unopposed as the new Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition. Although Labor lost the 2013 election, McGowan was seen as a good leader and kept his job.

After the 2013 election loss, McGowan started a "listening tour" across the state. He wanted to understand why people had not voted for Labor and how to win back their trust. Over the next few years, his popularity grew, and many people started to see him as a better choice for premier than the current leader, Colin Barnett.

Becoming Premier of Western Australia

At the 2017 election, McGowan led the Labor Party to a massive win. It was one of the biggest victories in the state's history. Labor won 41 out of 59 seats in the parliament. This was a huge defeat for the government that had been in power.

McGowan's victory was mainly due to strong support in Perth, the state's capital city. Labor won almost all of the seats in Perth. On 17 March 2017, McGowan was officially sworn in as the 30th Premier of Western Australia.

As premier, he quickly made changes. He limited the number of foreign workers coming into the state and stopped a freeway project that many people disliked. He also introduced tougher laws for serious crimes and worked to increase business with China.

Leading During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. McGowan took strong action to protect Western Australia. On 5 April 2020, he closed the state's borders to the rest of Australia to stop the virus from spreading.

Businessman Clive Palmer took legal action against the border closure, saying it was against the law. The court disagreed with Palmer. McGowan called Palmer an "enemy of the state" for trying to open the borders. After this, McGowan's popularity soared. In September 2020, a poll showed that 91% of people approved of his performance, a record for any Australian premier.

A Record-Breaking Election Win

Going into the 2021 election, polls showed that McGowan's Labor Party was extremely popular. The leader of the other main party, Zak Kirkup, even admitted he would probably lose weeks before the election.

On 13 March 2021, Labor won in a historic landslide. The party won 53 out of 59 seats, which was the biggest election victory in Australian history based on the number of seats won. McGowan's own seat of Rockingham became the safest in the state. After the win, McGowan said he was humbled and promised to keep working hard for all Western Australians.

Second Term as Premier

After the 2021 election, McGowan took on the role of Treasurer as well as Premier. This meant he was in charge of the state's money and budget.

His government also changed the way members of the Western Australian Legislative Council (the upper house of parliament) are elected. This was done to make the voting system fairer. In September 2021, he announced the state budget, which showed a large surplus of $5.6 billion.

McGowan planned to reopen Western Australia's borders in February 2022. However, he delayed this because of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. He wanted to wait until more people had received their booster vaccine shots. The border finally reopened on 3 March 2022.

Stepping Down as Premier

On 29 May 2023, Mark McGowan surprised many by announcing he was resigning as premier and as a member of parliament. He explained that he was "extremely tired" from the constant pressure of the job. He officially resigned on 8 June 2023.

The Labor Party held a vote to choose a new leader. Roger Cook was elected as the new premier, with Rita Saffioti as his deputy.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, McGowan took on several advisory roles. He advises companies like BHP and Mineral Resources. He also became the non-executive chairman of a renewable energy company called Frontier Energy.

McGowan has said that he does not miss politics. He feels he accomplished everything he wanted to and has no desire to enter federal parliament.

Personal Life

Mark McGowan married Sarah Miller in 1996. They have three children together and live in Rockingham, Western Australia.

Honours

• In 2024, McGowan was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, one of the country's highest honours. This was for his service to Western Australia, especially in public health and education.
• He received honorary doctorates from Tokyo City University in 2017 and the University of Western Australia in 2024.