Private text messages between WA Premier Mark McGowan, Attorney General John Quigley and billionaire owner of The West Australian Kerry Stokes have been revealed in the Federal Court.

In one message, Mr McGowan, who is testifying in his defamation trial against Clive Palmer, described the mining magnate as “the worst Australian who is not in jail.”

He also thanked Mr Stokes for his support, and praised front pages on his newspaper The West that depicted Mr Palmer as a cockroach and cane toad.

The State Government applied to have the text exchanges remain confidential, but the court refused the request.

The Premier and Mr Palmer are suing each other over comments over the need for WA’s hard border at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Reading some of the stuff coming through I can understand why they were not keen on their text messages to each other about Clive Palmer becoming public,” Bartlett said on 6PR Mornings.

Press PLAY below to hear Liam Bartlett read the text message exchanges on 6PR Mornings.

2GB reporter Josh Bryant, who is in Sydney covering the trial, told Bartlett the trial has escalated on McGowan’s second day in the stand and gave West Australians a bit of an insight into how business is done here in the state.

“Mark McGowan thanked Mr Stokes for his support and that the front pages of The West Australian depicting him as a cane toad were ‘marvellous’,” Bryant told Bartlett.

Press PLAY below to hear more from Bryant on the text messages exposed in court.