Outgoing Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan has ‘blood on his hands’, according to the father of a woman who committed suicide after being twice denied the chance to be with her parents during the Covid pandemic.
Alain D’argent told Daily Mail Australia not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of his daughter Robyn, 31, who was locked out of Western Australia amid draconian pandemic restrictions at the end of 2021 despite being diagnosed with mental health problems.
Mr D’argent and his wife Gillian remain convinced that their daughter would still be alive had she been allowed to return to her family home in Perth from Sydney.
“Absolutely, I believe that without any doubt,” Mr D’argent said as he explained how he remembers his daughter, who died on December 1, 2021.
“I have a little memorial in my yard, that’s her there.”
And while Mr. McGowan is remembered as a “political rock star” as he steps down, Mr. D’argent has no doubts as to who is responsible for the strict regime that essentially sealed WA off from the rest of the world for 697 days. early March 2020.
“The responsibility lies with the prime minister,” he said.
Alain D’argent (pictured left) with wife Gillian (centre) and daughter Robyn, who tragically took her own life during the Covid period of WA border closures
Robyn was working as a beauty consultant when he was denied entry to Perth in October and November 2021, and while living in Sydney was diagnosed with PTSD and depression
“It’s like a CEO of a company. The responsibility stops with him; he put it on (the border closure) and he gave them the green light to do it.”
Mr McGowan made the shock announcement on Monday that he would step down as Prime Minister next week, not having the energy to continue.
The revelation sparked a feverish debate about the legacy of the ‘Pandemic Prime Minister’, with intense admiration in some quarters.
An article on the Guardian Australia website praised Mr McGowan’s response to Covid, writing that it propelled him to the level of ‘political rock star’.
“With an approval rating of 91%, the Prime Minister also appointed himself Treasurer, taking on enemies ranging from mining billionaires to union bosses,” the article read.
Meanwhile, Paul Kelly wrote in The Australian that Mr McGowan was leading a political revolution.
“McGowan broke the federation, became supreme ruler of the west, arch-protector of his people, and exploited the deepest instincts of Western Australia’s insularity amid wealth,” he wrote.
And, in a note to subscribers, The West Australian editor Anthony De Ceglie said McGowan’s name would “be forever etched in history as the man who guided us through the Covid pandemic.”
However, Mr. D’argent said he would have a very different message for Mr. McGowan if they ever met: “You have a lot of blood on your hands and you have a lot to answer for.”
Mr D’argent said his daughter Robin (pictured) had plenty to look forward to in life despite her bouts of need
WA Prime Minister Mark McGowan made the shock announcement that he was retiring from politics
He said it was not just his family who suffered tragically from Mr McGowan’s border policies.
“There are a lot of people like me who haven’t reported it and kept quiet about it,” Mr D’argent said.
“There are certainly a lot of other things coming out, or about to come out, since he resigned.
“It’s going to happen, that’s not the end of the era, it’s just beginning its journey.”
Mr D’Argent’s daughter, Robin, was denied entry to Perth in October and November 2021 after moving to Sydney to start a new chapter in her life.
She was unable to get a so-called G2G pass to let her in, despite having a diagnostic report from a doctor stating she had PTSD and depression.
Mr D’argent said he was beaten back when he tried to intervene on Robin’s behalf.
“I was told, ‘We will not accept you interfering because she is a 31-year-old lady and you have nothing to do with her business,'” he said.
Even more cruelly, when he and Gillian flew to Sydney to bring home Robyn’s body, they were also denied entry into WA until they went to the media.
“I attached my deceased daughter’s certificate to my G2G application and was denied entry,” Mr D’argent said.
“That’s really awful.”
Mr D’argent said neither Mr McGowan nor any representative had ever offered an apology and that the only expressions of sympathy his family had received had been through the media.
“No one has ever made personal contact,” he said.
Alan D’argent has created a memorial to his daughter in the backyard of his Perth property
When Mr D’Argent and his wife Gillian (pictured) flew to Sydney to bring Robyn’s body home, they were also refused entry into WA until they went to the media
Daily Mail Australia asked Mr McGowan’s office why no one had been in contact with Mr D’argent and whether the outgoing prime minister had any regrets over the incident.
In response, a spokesman said only that the G2G system is run by the police and that the investigation should be directed at them.
Mr D’argent is convinced that Mr McGowan is leaving office for reasons other than being ‘tired’.
“I think he knows the inscription is on the wall, so it’s time for him to get out, to save the embarrassment for later,” he said.
‘Things have changed. If you look at how popular the man was a year ago and if you look at the numbers now, they’ve dropped dramatically.’
Mr D’argent said that despite her bouts of need, his daughter Robin had plenty to look forward to in life.
“She did well at her job. They were very happy with her,’ Mr D’argent said.