The Sunday Interview: Liberal ‘powerbroker’ Nick Goiran says he has nothing to say sorry for

Ahead of the March State Election, The Sunday Times sits down with MPs and political figures. This week, we meet recently appointed shadow attorney-general and controversial MP Nick Goiran. Your family origins are French? Both my parents, Gerard and Madeleine, came to Australia in 1970 on a boat, straight after they got married. They had originally planned to be here for two years and they never left. Seven years later I was born — the first of three. Do you speak French? Thanks to my mother, I can say a few words in French. You were educated at the Rehoboth Christian College in Kenwick and you are patron of that school. I take it growing up that God and Christianity played a major part of your life. Absolutely. Yes. I have known no part of my life, otherwise than with faith. The most important things to me in life are faith, family and friends. You are married to Jody. How did you meet? To get through law school, you still need to make a living, and I was a basketball umpire. And I met Jody who was a netball umpire. She would complain that the basketball was going too often on to her court, and I’d complain the netball was coming too often on to ours, and we obviously hit it off. By the time I finished law school we got married. She has been the love of my life ever since. Prior to entering politics in 2009 you were a successful barrister-lawyer who was also a partner in a law firm. Your father ran for the Christian Democratic Party and your mother for the Australian Christians. Were you always destined to be a politician? I had no interest in politics whatsoever. The thing that triggered me (going into politics) were victims of sexual abuse. Too often the system leaves them hanging. Big pay cut to enter politics? The financial costs to our family have been extreme. But there have been no regrets. It’s an enormous privilege to be one of the final 36 West Australians in the Upper House who has a say on what the law is in our State. You are an evangelical Christian. Since entering politics, you have opposed things like gay marriage, surrogacy laws and assisted dying legislation. Are you in politics to serve Nick Goiran and God or the electorate? Like everybody else, I come to Parliament with my values, my experience, both personal and professional. I am comfortable that I am doing the job that’s expected of me, which is to be a ruthless scrutiniser of legislation. I’m told I have the largest supporter data base in WA politics, so I figure something must be going OK. What data base? My supporters and detractors watch very closely what my email is (newsletter) every Friday morning at 6.15am. That now goes to more than 96,000 people. How does the title powerbroker sit with you? I never entered politics for titles. You can’t control how people label you. All you can do is control your actions and behaviour. My supporters know that no one is more persistent in asking the questions that need to be asked in Parliament. It’s a strange thing that in politics, which is ultimately about building support, influencing people, that if you do that too well you can be criticised for it. Leaked text messages in 2021 show you, Mathias Cormann and Peter Collier were part of a group called The Clan, which boasted about being able to influence pre-selections and party positions. You boasted in one of the texts: “Tomorrow I’m going to find a branch to stack.” Are you embarrassed that The Clan existed, or embarrassed you got caught out? I’ve got one thing to say about this. I was the subject of an intense nine-month investigation through the Liberal Party’s disciplinary processes and the end outcome was that the complaint was dismissed as wholly unsubstantiated. Does The Clan still exist? It’s a myth. Has there been a falling out with Mathias Cormann? You didn’t back his wife Hayley when she sought preselection in South Perth. Well, that’s garbage because I was not involved in the South Perth preselection. I was not involved in any Lower House preselection, not only in this round of preselections, but in also the previous State election. The only preselection I get involved in is my own. That’s an inconvenient truth to some of my detractors, but it’s a statement of fact. He (Mathias) lives in Paris. I live in Perth. As a result of that, I probably get to see Hayley much more than I do him. Libby Mettam had sacked you from shadow cabinet because you wouldn’t apologise for your role in The Clan. Did she ask for your apology prior to bringing you back into shadow cabinet this week? No. Had she asked you to apologise, would you have? No. I was the subject of a nine-month investigation which was dismissed as wholly unsubstantiated. You’ve got nothing to apologise for? Exactly. Did you cut a deal with Libby Mettam to support her for the leadership in return for you going back into cabinet? There was no deal. I don’t reveal the deliberations of the party room. But I will make the observation that in 15 years of parliamentary service I have always stuck by the principle that whoever is the leader requires unconditional and unequivocal support. Have you had discussions with Basil Zempilas? I have met Basil a few times. Ever talk about the leadership with Basil? No Will Libby be the next WA Liberal Premier? That’s what I’m working towards. We are in it to win it. Do you see yourself as a long-term pollie? By the end of this coming term, I will have done 20 years. We’ll see. You are now shadow attorney-general and shadow for Child Protection. Your No.1 priority if you were AG in government? Western Australia desperately needs a judicial commission to be able to investigate complaints into the judiciary. Priorities in Child Protection? We need to make sure every single child in the care of the State has a case worker. I won’t stop till that happens. What do you want in your Xmas stocking? A bottle of cognac.