As Mark McGowan woke up for his last day as the premier of Western Australia this morning, it wouldn't be surprising if he felt some relief.
Over more than six years, he's made thousands upon thousands of decisions, a handful of which have shaped his legacy, as well as the state's.
His economic success – a combination of financial management and strong iron ore prices – is a clear area of strength, and he'll be remembered for the ambitious Metronet transport project, and his bold handling of the COVID pandemic.
But the "rock star premier" who achieved unheard-of levels of public support will leave a number of unresolved issues.
Enviable WA balance sheet
Having handed down billions upon billions of dollars of surpluses in recent years, the premier has revelled in telling people the state's finances are among the best in the country, if not the world.
He brokered the GST deal with the commonwealth that has seen billions of extra money flow to the state, much to the chagrin of other state's premiers.
"WA now boasts the most enviable set of books in the nation, and our AAA credit rating reinstated," was the praise from Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA CEO Chris Rodwell after Mr McGowan's resignation.
Metronet, new hospital
Those decisions have helped fund a new women's and babies hospital to replace the ageing King Edward Memorial Hospital, put money aside for a new desalination plant and paid for his Metronet rail dream to become a reality.
Often criticised for being over budget and behind schedule, politics professor Martin Drum credits the Metronet suite of transport projects with both getting Mr McGowan elected, and helping influence how he's remembered.
"When you are seeking to be elected and you want to connect with the public, you need to offer something broader, something big picture. That [Metronet] was always his big picture thing," he said.
"If you can clearly articulate a vision and you're consistent with that, I think people will see a direction that you're taking the state, and I think that's another essential ingredient."
Parochialism resonated
The state's bottom line was also helped along by another lasting hallmark of Mr McGowan's leadership – his management of COVID.
Slamming borders shut, implementing short, sharp lockdowns and years of restrictions on all kinds of areas of life were, for some, painful and controversial at the time.
But Dr Drum said it ultimately helped boost Mr McGowan's profile for two reasons, including that it helped him look decisive.
"McGowan's parochialism, or his very aggressive advocacy for Western Australia, I think really resonated," he said.
"And he had the perfect foil in Clive Palmer, very wealthy, well resourced business person who was seeking to come into the state not to visit an ailing relative or something like that, but to further his business ventures, and that gave him exactly the right person to be fighting against.
"But more broadly speaking there was a sense that Western Australians were being looked after, their own interests were being looked after first, and I think that's what is successful for a lot of political leaders."
Premier achieved rock star status
The pay off for his COVID management – which made him a household name and kept him in the news day after day – was clear.
His efforts were honoured in as many ways as you could imagine, from tattoos and T-shirts to custom-made cereal, to name a few.
That kind of unheard of popularity was reflected by his 91 per cent approval rating at the height of the pandemic.
It led to an unprecedented election win, with Labor taking all but six seats in parliament's lower house, and has left the opposition decimated and a long way from government.
Decisions to stop evictions and rent increases in the early days of the pandemic, as well as to provide rent relief to those struggling to pay, were highlights of Mr McGowan's leadership for WA Council of Social Service deputy CEO Rachel Siewert.
"We all knew that the most vulnerable in our community were particularly at risk, and the sorts of supports that his government provided to the community … were very much appreciated, and he did provide that critical protection there," she said.
Courting controversy
However, his management of the pandemic was not always popular with other state leaders and people who remained separated from their families.
The pandemic is far from the only time the premier has attracted controversy though.
In his first term of government, he and Amber-Jade Sanderson shepherded voluntary assisted dying laws through parliament amid cries it was the most dangerous euthanasia legislation passed in Australia.
Reforming the state's upper house was also contentious and is among one of the main criticisms levelled at him from the regions.
Bold environmental decisions – like bringing native forest logging and coal-fired power generation to an end – were also unpopular in parts.
But there is still a long way to go, with the government spending $20 million so far to keep one coal mine operating and hundreds of millions to help communities transition.
"I'm actually very proud of some of the environmental things, like, there's going to be five million additional hectares in national and marine parks by the end of this term … very proud of that," Mr McGowan reflected on Monday.
Unresolved issues remain
Allowing children to stay in care until they turned 21 was another highlight the outgoing premier nominated.
But he will also leave a number of problems behind.
Disputes over public sector wages remain ongoing, although there is hope a change of heart by the incoming premier could bring them to an end.
Recent proposed changes to planning laws, which are yet to pass parliament, have also courted controversy and renewed suggestions the party is too close to property developers and their donations.
Youth justice issues – most recently highlighted by a riot that caused an estimated $30 million of damage at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre – have also dogged the end of his reign.
"The Western Australian community need to understand that these young people will one day be back in their community, they're not there forever," Opposition Leader Shane Love said.
"The issue is that making the young detainees even more difficult by having them in a situation at Banksia Hill of complete dysfunction is actually not keeping the community safe," Mr Love said yesterday.
State still too reliant on mining
Diversifying the economy and walking back the state's reliance on mining as the iron ore price falls is another big task some would argue Mr McGowan's government has not acted on quickly enough.
That is one area premier-to-be Roger Cook is well placed to address, having spent the last two-and-a-half years leading that work.
With all of that soon to be behind him though, Mr McGowan said on Monday he had few regrets.
"I just wanted to leave the state better than I found it," he said.
"That's all I wanted to do and do good things along the way."
History will judge just how well he's done that.
Now it's up to his successor-in-waiting to take up the mantle and put his own spin on the path his predecessor laid out.
