A Nation in Crisis is a Nation vulnerable
The biggest worry is McGowan, any real push for the commonwealth to 'punish' WA for not opening borders can only strengthen his position. With his approval ratings and some good spin he could easily push a move to secede from the commonwealth and align with more lucrative foreign trade. If you want a conspiracy look there. WA is more likely to hold the commonwealth to financial ransom than the opposite. What would the feds do without the massive boost they get from WAs mining trade.