Labor Party accuses Mark McGowan of favouring Scott Morrison over Anthony Albanese

Labor have been left ‘dumbfounded’ by the friendly relationship between WA Premier Mark McGowan and Scott Morrision. 

McGowan and Morrison were seen smiling and laughing together on Thursday after the PM announced a $100 million State-Federal top up that will allow a new Swan River Bridge and Edith Cowan University campus to be built in Perth’s CBD.

A Labor insider said the party were stunned by the photos as candidate Anthony Albanese was denied a press conference with McGowan earlier this month. 

Both PM candidates are aware the next federal election could rely upon WA votes but the Labor party  is convinced Mr McGowan is purposely favouring Mr Morrison despite being a member of the Labor party.

Federal Labor said they were ‘dumbfounded’ by photos of WA Premier Mark McGowan smiling and laughing with Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison after candidate Anthony Albanese was denied a press conference

Mr McGowan posed for 'beautiful pictures' with Mr Morrison as the PM announced a $100 million State-Federal top up that will allow a new Swan River Bridge and Edith Cowan University campus to be built in Perth's CBD

Mr McGowan posed for ‘beautiful pictures’ with Mr Morrison as the PM announced a $100 million State-Federal top up that will allow a new Swan River Bridge and Edith Cowan University campus to be built in Perth’s CBD

The Labor source told The West there would have been a level of exasperation from Anthony Albanese and his office when the photos came out.

‘At the end of the day Mark McGowan might be Premier, but he is a Labor Premier. And that means to stand for something.’ 

The close relationship between the pair comes after Mr Morrison appeared to refer to WA residents as ‘cave people’ when McGowan refused to open the state borders as Covid surged across the country.

While on the Today Show last August Mr Morrison discussed Covid vaccination rates and used the movie The Croods to describe how states can’t hide forever. 

‘Now it’s like that movie The Croods. Some wanted to stay in the cave and the young girl wanted to deal with the challenges of living in a different world,’ he said.

‘Covid is a different world … we can’t stay in the cave.’ 

Mr Morrison commented on the issue on Thursday and said he ‘was never referring to WA’.

The defensive PM also added that ‘WA travelled its own path and rightly, and the results speak for themselves’ when dealing with the Covid outbreak. 

Mr Morrison’s ‘smiling and laughing’ photographs with the Premier wouldn’t have stung the Labor party so bad if they hadn’t just been turned down their own PR stunt with Mr McGowan.

Mr Albanese had arrived in Perth on March 3 but was unable to secure a press conference with Mr McGowan as he had to fly to Sydney that afternoon.

Mr McGowan has been accused of betraying his own party - Labor - after he met with Liberal candidate Scott Morrison following a rejection of Labour candidate Anthony Albanese

Mr McGowan has been accused of betraying his own party – Labor – after he met with Liberal candidate Scott Morrison following a rejection of Labour candidate Anthony Albanese

In Sydney Mr McGowan saw his parents and attended the defamation trial of Clive Palmer before arriving back in Perth to complete seven days quarantine.

The Liberal party currently holds 11 of 16 seats in WA, however one of those seats – Stirling – will soon be abolished due to boundary redistribution.

Mr Albanese needs to win seven seats to become the next Prime Minister and hopes two of those seats can be found in WA in Pearce and Swan.

Mr Albanese recently told The Sunday Times he believes Mr McGowan is ‘important’ to winning those two seats. 

‘I would be surprised if Mark McGowan is not part of the federal campaign. That would make sense,’ he said.

Both PM candidates are aware the next federal election could rely upon WA votes but the Labor party is convinced Mr McGowan is purposely favouring Mr Morrison despite being a member of the Labour party

Both PM candidates are aware the next federal election could rely upon WA votes but the Labor party is convinced Mr McGowan is purposely favouring Mr Morrison despite being a member of the Labour party

‘Primarily, it is a federal campaign. We will be standing on our own two feet as well. But Mark has an important role to play.’  

The conference on Thursday received national news coverage and lead several people to question the relationship between Mr Morrison and Mr McGowan.

‘This behaviour has to stop. Labour are working very hard to win this election but this makes them feel that all this hard work is undone,’ a Labor source told The West.  

However Mr McGowan said it is his job as Premier to ‘secure as much support for Western Australia as I possibly can’.

The Federal Liberal party have since come back at the Labor party with their own accusations.    

Mr Morrison's 'right hand man' federal Liberal Member for Tangney Ben Morton said yesterday that Mr Albanese was 'self absorbed' and threw a 'tantrum'

Mr Morrison’s ‘right hand man’ federal Liberal Member for Tangney Ben Morton said yesterday that Mr Albanese was ‘self absorbed’ and threw a ‘tantrum’

Mr Morrison’s ‘right hand man’ federal Liberal Member for Tangney Ben Morton said on Saturday that Mr Albanese was ‘self absorbed’ and he should focus on policy over personality.

‘Federal Labor’s tantrum demonstrates the problem with them,’ he said. 

‘Albanese and federal Labor is focused on politics and themselves and not on delivery for Western Australia. 

‘Compare the visits. Albanese so focused on himself and his election while the Prime Minister focused on delivering for WA through investment in our growing defence industries, supporting WA critical mineral projects, infrastructure partnerships with the McGowan Government and greater investment in rural health projects.

‘Can anyone name any policy or project important to WA that Albanese focused on while in WA other than being focused on himself?’

A spokesperson for Mr McGowan said on Saturday that he would always support his party and that Mr Albanese's rejected public event was due to schedule conflicts

A spokesperson for Mr McGowan said on Saturday that he would always support his party and that Mr Albanese’s rejected public event was due to schedule conflicts

A spokesperson for Mr McGowan said on Saturday that he would always support his party and that Mr Albanese’s rejected public event was due to schedule conflicts.

‘The Premier takes his role seriously, to make sure he can secure as much support for Western Australians as possible from Canberra.

‘The Premier will always and will continue to campaign for federal Labor. The Premier and Anthony Albanese have been friends for 15 years and he looks forward to supporting him here in WA during the election campaign.

‘The Premier had the opportunity to meet with Mr Albanese on the day he arrived in the State but wasn’t able to hold a press conference because he was scheduled to travel to see his parents, whom he hadn’t seen for a year, before appearing in the Federal Court in Sydney as a result of Clive Palmer’s legal action.’ 

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