Retiring MP Kyle McGinn says he will be leaving the role in a better condition than he found it

Coming into the role at a time where Labor was a “dirty word” in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, retiring MP Kyle McGinn says he believes he will be leaving the role in a better condition than he found it in 2017. Announcing his time as an MP would come to an end next May after two terms as a member for Mining and Pastoral Region, Mr McGinn said he was eyeing a return to union work. His decision comes after he was unable to secure pre-selection on the Labor Party ticket in the Upper House and later missed out on the bid for Federal preselection for the new seat of Bullwinkel. The self-proclaimed “accidental pollie” said he was “disappointed” with the manoeuvres which resulted in this outcome but he wouldn’t let it distract him from working hard for people in his region for the remaining nine months. “Like all parties, and like a lot of organisations, there’s factions and that that’s how things work . . . people will band together,” he said. “And my background wasn’t from student politics or university; I didn’t pass Year 12 and I spent my life working at sea and the Maritime Union of Australia is my background — politics is a bit different there. “I probably had a bit of naivety trying to navigate it and I just didn’t manage to get there.” With the historic reforms coming into effect at the 2025 election introducing a single Statewide electorate for the Upper House, Mr McGinn said it would be “interesting” to see where Labor puts its representatives across the State, but he believed representation for the regions would not falter. “I don’t think that the reforms play a significant role. I think . . . the Goldfields is important to Western Australia, it’s important to the Government and the Government will treat it that way,” he said. “My office is here. I’m sure there’ll be an MP that wants to snaffle that up. “I also think there’s a great opportunity, depending how the SAT determines the allowances, you could potentially have a heap more members coming out here, a lot more often. “Because any Joe Bloggs who’s elected . . . they can now come out to Kalgoorlie-Boulder as part of their electorate. “And the best part is that you can pick up the phone to any one of those 37 members and it’s their electorate, so instead of only having six options you’ve now got 37 you can call.” He said he was thankful for the support of the region during his two terms and hoped he had helped to inspire others who didn’t fit the standard politician cookie-cutter mould to give it a crack. “I think what I have proven is that anybody can become a politician,” he said. “Tattoos, mullet, failed Year 12 and didn’t go to a privileged private school — there’s nothing special about me. “I’m pretty happy with the fact that I’ve been able to prove to myself, and to others, that politics is not just for a select few, it’s for everybody to have an opportunity to represent people.” Seeing the development of the Step Up Step Down mental health facility, an MRI machine for Kalgoorlie Health Campus, Pringle Village stages and the upgrades to Kingsbury Park as a youth precinct were at the top of his list of proud achievements since taking up the role in 2017. But one of his proudest accomplishments was helping Labor win the seat of Kalgoorlie back in 2021. “When I came out here in 2017, Labor was a dirty word in the Goldfields,” he said. “Wearing my red shirt around usually got a few snickers. I’d walk into events and backs would turn and it was very, very difficult to break in. “But I think what I’m most proud about is I gave Goldfields people another option. The Liberal National stuff was pretty heavy here, and I think in that first four years I worked really hard to show that Labor is a genuine option in the Goldfields. “And lo and behold, in 2021 we got the seat back. And that came from a lot of hard work . . . and I’m proud that I’ve got some pretty good relationships out of that with people that probably didn’t think about Labor before that.” While he stopped short of ruling out a potential return to politics in the future, Mr McGinn said he definitely would not be running for local government, as many have done before. “I’m not interested in trying to hang on to it, it just is what it is,” he said. “I’d never say never. But for me, (I just wanted to) try my best for as long as I could, and that was two terms. “And now I want to go back and represent workers and try my best back in the union movement, which I think needs some good people in there fighting for workers because the union movement is under attack.”