PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian resources sector has paid tribute to Premier Mark McGowan, who on Monday announced his resignation.

In a snap press conference on Monday, McGowan announced that he was stepping down as Premier, citing exhaustion. McGowan was elected as Premier in March 2017, and served as opposition leader for more than six years.

“Premier McGowan has made significant contributions to Western Australia since taking the top job in 2017 and throughout his decades of public service,” Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) CEO Rebecca Tomkinson said.

“On behalf of CME and its members, I congratulate the Premier on his successful tenure as Western Australia’s leader and thank him for his support of the Western Australian mining and resources industry, particularly during the Covid-19 period.

“Throughout Covid-19, the collaboration between industry and the Western Australian government enabled critical sectors like resources to continue to operate whilst protecting the safety and health of the workforce and community. 

“This helped the Western Australian economy remain stable during that very difficult period and ensured the sector was able to continue to underpin the strength of the nation’s economy. CME has greatly valued the collaboration and engagement with the Premier, and looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Western Australian government and the new leadership,” said Tomkinson.

The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (Amec) congratulated McGowan on his 26-year Parliamentary and Ministerial career, saying he would be remembered for a number of achievements in public life and across his political career.

“Our members will especially remember his extraordinary leadership during Covid-19, and his personal commitment to keeping the WA mining and mineral exploration industry open and operating safely,” said Amec CEO Warren Pearce.

“It was this early decision, taken against considerable external pressure, which supported Australia’s economy through the Covid-19 crisis and saw Western Australia emerge from the pandemic with one of the strongest economies in the world.

“It also set up Western Australia’s mining industry to take advantage of new global opportunities in critical minerals and downstream processing and enabled it to thrive when much of the mining industry around the world was closed down.

“Beyond Covid-19, his genuine commitment to work with and collaborate with industry has helped to diversify the state’s economy and attract significant new investment into Western Australia.

“On behalf of Amec and all of our members we would like to thank the Premier for his commitment to the State of Western Australia and for a lifetime of public service. We wish him and his family all the best as they enter a new chapter,” said Pearce.