Liberal MPs should support Mark McGowan in his fight with the CFMMEU

History contains many lessons that current politicians and governments need to understand.

In the 1980s, with Bob Hawke and Paul Keating in charge of the federal Labor government, the Liberal Party took a decision to support the government in the Senate and pass legislation that was deemed to be good for the future of the nation. The Liberals didn't abandon their role as the official 'opposition' but Hawke and Keating were prepared to stand up to the unions and propose legislation that would harm the union movement but bring long term benefits for all Australians.

To the small number of Liberal MPs who believed their only goal in life was to win government and hence to oppose everything, this decision to support the Hawke/Keating government was unacceptable. Yet, just a few years later in 1996, John Howard's team won government and ruled for the next 11 years, longer than either of the Hawke or Keating terms of government.

Under Howard's good governance and with the benefits flowing on from the financial and economic decisions made in the 1980s with Liberal support, Australia safely weathered the 2008 global financial crisis and is still enjoying the world's longest period of continuous economic growth - 28 years and counting.

What has all this got to do with Labor's Mark McGowan and the WA Labor government? Well, right now, McGowan is being challenged by the CFMMEU, one of the most left-wing and militant unions in Australia. Christy Cain from the MUA (which is in the process of merging with the CFMEU) is attempting to intimidate McGowan by calling him 'average' and saying he's no friend of his. In contrast, he can only say good things about federal ALP leader Bill Shorten who he describes as well balanced and a good leader.

The problem is that Shorten is beholden to the union movement and has agreed to wind back industrial relation laws to give unions more power and to force Australian companies like BHP to use Australian-crewed ships, significantly increasing costs and hence reducing Australia's competitiveness.

If Liberal MPs want to see good government should Shorten and the ALP win government in May's federal election, they should offer their bipartisan support to Mark McGowan in his fight with the unions. To do this will send a message to Shorten and his union mates that the Liberal Party supports good governance and good legislation, implying that a Shorten Labor government's payoffs to the union movement will be vigorously opposed in the Senate but it may be able to get good legislation through the Senate with Liberal Party support (remembering that the Senate is expected to be controlled by independents and possibly the Greens after May's election).

It's two years until the next state election here in WA and voters like to know that their government is running the state well. But voters also like to know that the opposition won't just oppose everything regardless of its merit but will support good legislation. If McGowan capitulates to the excessive demands of the union movement, the vast majority of West Australians will suffer, remembering that employee membership of unions currently stands at 14%. If McGowan is seen to be supported by Liberal MPs in his fight with the unions, both Labor and Liberals will be seen in a good light by voters.

Only the militant unions will be the losers, should the Liberal Party and its MPs support McGowan.