Mark McGowan

The Honourable Mark McGowan
McGowan in April 2014
30th Premier of Western Australia
In office 17 March 2017 – 8 June 2023
Monarchs	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 56)[1] Newcastle, New South Wales
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Sarah Miller ​ (m. 1996)​ [1]
Children	3
Residence	Rockingham, Western Australia
Education	Casino High School Coffs Harbour High School
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Profession	Lawyer politician
Signature
Website	www.markmcgowan.com.au
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 an Australian former politician and naval officer who served as the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 until his retirement in 2023. He was the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 to 2023 and a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Rockingham from 1996 to 2023.

McGowan was born and raised in Newcastle, New South Wales. He attended the University of Queensland and worked as a legal officer for the Royal Australian Navy, serving at naval base HMAS Stirling, south of Perth. Settling in Western Australia, he was elected as a councillor for the City of Rockingham from 1994, and was later elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly at the 1996 election, representing the district of Rockingham. In 2001, he was made Parliamentary Secretary to Premier Geoff Gallop, and was later a Cabinet Minister in both the Gallop and Carpenter Governments from 2005 to 2008.

McGowan was elected as Leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia following the resignation of Eric Ripper, and became Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly. Although he led Labor to defeat at the 2013 election, he retained his position as leader, and embarked upon a "listening tour" of the state, pledging to restore Labor's credibility with voters. McGowan subsequently grew in popularity, and went on to lead Labor to a landslide victory at the 2017 election, winning the largest majority government in the state's history at the time. He was subsequently appointed the 30th Premier of Western Australia.^[2]

Throughout 2020, McGowan led Western Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time he reached a record-breaking approval rating for an Australian premier of 91%. At the 2021 election, he led his party to an even larger landslide victory, winning 53 out of 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly, and also winning a majority in the Legislative Council. This was the largest victory in terms of both vote share and proportion of lower house seats occupied in Australian electoral history.^[3] He resigned as premier and as a member of parliament on 8 June 2023.