There really wasn't any doubt about Mark McGowan winning this particular election. He is a massively popular figure and deserves this victory for the way in which he has portrayed strength and leadership.
(I would prefer that he doesn't make derogatory comments about other Australian leaders, but that may have been part of his leadership strategy as it has obviously not done him the slightest bit of harm in the voting.)
I'm worried that there isn't going to be an effective opposition, but one can't begrudge possibly Mark McGowan this victory. As unpopular as his border closures have been with some, in particular with people in other states, he did keep West Australians very safe and enabled them to live almost as though there wasn't any pandemic going on.
Clearly the border closures have resonated well with the majority of West Australians.
I don't think we could really say that Dan Andrews has attained such popularity. I agree that he made some dreadful decisions, and that there has been a stubborn and resistant culture throughout DHHS, for instance, in refusing to admit errors, refusing to - actually, let me stop there. This isn't a thread about that, but about the WA election, which has resulted in such a massive victory for Labor that one has to wonder whether it's even possible for the Liberals or the Nationals to mount a workable strategy and regain a toehold in the next election. I'm of the view that State governments function best when they cannot simply say "Make it so" without any chance of a discussion or debate or questioning. It's up to Labor to ensure that this victory doesn't result in a rubber stamp frame of mind.
I'd have loved to visit WA with its astonishing and alien-looking remote areas... but I wouldn't want to risk a border closure mid-holiday. Perhaps visiting the NT is a better idea...? I haven't seen any of it, and I do want to explore far more of Australia once it's safe to do so.
