![]() ![]() "I'd like to open some of the new rail lines, I'd like to see the passing of some of our legislative reform … equal opportunities laws, and the gun laws, and the planning laws, and a whole range of other social reforms that will make the state stronger and better," he said. The most recent major progression was the opening of a rail link from the airport to Perth CBD in October 2022, with other major milestones due in coming years. The project has been bogged down by delays and thrown off its initial rollout schedule, with the McGowan government pointing at COVID-19 and the state's heated construction market as unavoidable causes. Outside his role as a pandemic premier, Mr McGowan also took on the challenge of overhauling WA's transport infrastructure with his flagship Metronet election promise in 2017. The state is set to record a $4.2 billion surplus this year – a figure that rivals the federal surplus but falls short of the even bigger purses of $5.7 billion and $5.6 billion recorded in the years before. WA has enjoyed huge budget surpluses throughout Mr McGowan's second term off the back of iron ore royalties and GST payments. ![]() "The COVID experience, basically three years … having to deal with all that, and all the pressure that was associated with that, that drained me a lot," he said. The premier said the stress of the political battleground throughout the pandemic played a significant role in his decision to resign. Mr McGowan says he will officially step down by the end of the week. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |