Follow the Leaders
The MKI Interview Series
In 2023–24, four recent former premiers – the Hon. Mark McGowan (WA), the Hon. Peter Gutwein (Tas), the Hon. Dominic Perrottet (NSW), and the Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk (Qld) – sat down with MKI for wide-ranging conversations about the work and changing context of political leadership in Australia.
As part of these exchanges, they were invited to reflect not only on their own time as leaders, but on areas spanning the key relationships and dilemmas they encountered, the distinctions between Australia’s jurisdictions, the disconnects between the work of politics and the way it’s often portrayed, and – as this first sneak peek reveals – the question of what makes ministers effective.
These conversations present contemporary and nuanced insights into the work of being a Premier and more. We’re excited to introduce you to their frank, thoughtful and generous responses on a range of practical, complex and sensitive topics – many of which intersect with MKI’s programs and approach, including the importance of learning mindsets and the responsibilities of democratic stewardship.
About This Interview Series
Incorporating the authentic experience of some of Australia’s most recent political leaders is one of the distinctive elements of McKinnon Institute programs. While this clip illuminates some of the practical challenges of political work – including how you learn to be a minister, and how different premiers define effectiveness – much more can be learned from these leaders, both individually and as the cohort that shared the experience of governing during a polycrisis that included fire, flood and pandemic.
Follow the Leaders is designed to help other leaders be better prepared – an entirely different dynamic from many other interviews leaders may give. These insights connect with the McKinnon Institute’s distinctive position at the centre of political networks and its capacity to gather contemporary insights from current practice and translate these into up-to-the-minute learnings.
We look forward to sharing more insights from these past premiers in the coming months – including their thoughts on the importance of first speeches, the differences between jurisdictions and much more.
“There are many, many different ways of being a good minister.”
The Leaders’ Insights: What Makes Ministers Effective
“If we want to improve ministerial effectiveness, we need to be able to articulate what we think it is. We need to know that leaders understand how consequential their work is – how they judge themselves, and also, as the head of government, as the one who ultimately decides the Cabinet, how they assess an effective minister.
“Everybody has a sense of what good looks like among their peers, but what does it look like from the top when you understand all the risks? The challenge is that it’s contextual, it’s temporal, it’s constantly being evaluated and reappraised and there are many, many different ways of being a good minister.” – Professor Anne Tiernan, MKI Head of Research
Biographies
Peter Gutwein served as 46th Premier of Tasmania and leader of the Liberal Party from January 2020 until April 2022. Gutwein led Tasmania through the COVID-19 pandemic and achieved an election victory in his own right in May 2021. This was the first time the Tasmanian Liberals had won three back-to-back elections.
His surprise resignation came after Gutwein spent 7 days in COVID isolation with his family, which he realised was the longest time he had spent with them since the start of the pandemic.
Gutwein had served as Member for Bass since 2002.
Mark McGowan served as 30th Premier of Western Australia and leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 until June 2023. Labor’s 2017 election was hailed as WA Labor’s biggest-ever victory. However, this win was dwarfed by WA Labor’s landslide win in 2021, which reduced the Liberals to two seats in the legislative assembly and gave WA Labor total control across both houses of parliament.
McGowan led WA through the COVID-19 pandemic, where his personal approval rating hit 91% at the height of the pandemic due to his tough stance and rapid border closures being credited with safeguarding the state’s economy and mining sector. Mid-way through his second term as Premier, McGowan resigned citing that the job was “relentless”.
McGowan had served as Member for Rockingham since 1996.
Annastacia Palaszczuk served as the 39th Premier of Queensland, and Leader of the Labor Party from February 2015 until December 2023. She was Australia’s longest serving female premier and presided over the first female-majority cabinet in Australian history. She is also the first female to win the premiership from the opposition, succeeding former Liberal Premier Campbell Newman in a shock victory for Labor in 2015 via hung parliament. Palaszczuk led Queensland through the Covid-19 pandemic, benefitting electorally from her stance of closing the state’s borders.
Announcing her resignation and retirement from politics in December 2023, she noted, “I have given it my all, I have run a marathon”.
Palaszczuk had served as Member for Inala since 2006.
Dominic Perrottet served as 46th Premier of New South Wales and leader of the Liberal Party from October 2022, after the resignation of Gladys Berejiklian. He resigned as leader after he lost the election in March 2023. Perrottet was instrumental in New South Wales’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic as Treasurer and later as Premier and was one of the principal architects of the JobSaver program.
In his concession speech, Perrottet described the 2023 NSW election as a “race to the top” and “a genuine battle of ideas”. This election has been widely noted as an example of politics done differently.
Perrottet served as Member for Epping from 2019 to his retirement in August 2024. Prior to this, he was Member for Hawkesbury from 2015 to 2019, and Member for Castle Hill from 2011 to 2015.
Resources and further reading
