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Mark McGowan has resigned midway through his second term as West Australian premier, citing exhaustion in a bombshell announcement.

The Labor leader, 55, held a snap press conference to confirm his intention to step down as premier, treasurer and the member for Rockingham.

"This week will be my final week," he said on Monday.

"I've loved the challenge of solving problems, making decisions, getting outcomes and helping people.

"But the truth is, I'm tired - extremely tired.

"In fact, I'm exhausted."

The premier said the role of political leadership was relentless and the COVID-19 years had taken it out of him.

He said he had no immediate plans beyond taking a break.

"I'm convinced WA Labor can win, and will win, the next election in 2025," Mr McGowan said.

"But I just don't have the energy or drive that is required to continue in the role as premier or to fight that election, which would have been my eighth election as a member of parliament."

A former Navy lawyer, Mr McGowan shepherded WA through the pandemic, copping criticism for border closures which spanned almost two years.

The premier, who also fought a bruising defamation battle with billionaire Clive Palmer and picked fights with rival politicians over the state's GST revenue share and Australia's relationship with China, said he left with no regrets.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Mr McGowan and congratulated him.

"He has been a great premier of his proud state, an extraordinary leader for WA Labor and a trusted friend," he said.

"Above all, Mark will be remembered for seeing the people of Western Australia safely through one of the most challenging crises in our nation's history."

The premier led Labor to crushing election victories in 2017 and 2021, the latter securing his party the biggest parliamentary majority in the state's history and reducing the opposition to a handful of seats.

Mr McGowan had previously insisted he would serve out the remainder of his second term as premier before considering his future.

He made the announcement flanked by his wife Sarah and members of his ministry.

Mr McGowan said he had been contemplating stepping down for quite a while but had wanted to first hand down the state budget.

Before clinching election victories, the premier spent five years as opposition leader.

He said it had been an honour and privilege to serve the WA community as premier and as an MP for almost three decades.

"It's way beyond what I could ever have imagined my career would amount to," he said.

Deputy Premier Roger Cook, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti are among the frontrunners to succeed Mr McGowan, who will finish up at the end of this week.

Mr Cook declared he would run just hours after Mr McGowan announced his retirement.

"As a born and bred Western Australian, I will always champion our State and all of the communities that make it the best place to live in Australia at every opportunity," he said in a statement.

Mr McGowan said criticism of the government's handling of youth detainees at the Banksia Hill detention centre had not influenced his decision.

"There's always things you think you could do better ... I try not to dwell," he said.

Mr McGowan said he hoped to be remembered as an achiever and for making the state stronger and better and had no regrets.

Opposition Leader Shane Love said Mr McGowan's resignation would be a significant loss for the government.

"The McGowan name has been very much the brand of this particular Labor government and that brand has been based on him," he said.

"The loss of that name will come as a cost to the Labor party ... and therefore an opportunity for the opposition."

© AAP 2023

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The parents of a Queensland teenager have testified that they were woken up by the aftermath of their son's alleged fatal stabbing just metres from their front door.

Balin Stewart was aged 16 when his heart was pierced by a 12 centimetre steak knife blade on January 20 last year outside his family's home in the Sunshine Coast suburb of Buddina.

A male aged under 18 at the time of the alleged incident, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to murder in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks said the defendant attacked Balin out of jealousy because he was spending time with the teenager's ex-girlfriend.

"He stabbed (Balin) with a purposeful motion...in one of the most vulnerable areas in the human body and immediately before he did so, (said) he wanted to kill him," Ms Marks said.

Balin's mother Kerri-Lyn and father Michael gave evidence on the first day of the trial.

Kerri-Lyn said on the evening of January 20 Balin and some friends, including a girl who he had been in a relationship with a few years ago and who had broken up with the defendant about six months beforehand, were hanging out at home before going to a party.

The group of teenagers returned about 10.30pm and Kerri-Lyn said she told them to keep the noise down before she went to bed.

"I went to sleep and the next thing I knew, I heard (the defendant's ex-girlfriend) banging on my window saying 'come outside, come outside'," Kerri-Lyn said.

Kerri-Lynn said she ran out the front door when the girl told her Ballin had been stabbed and found him unconscious and the defendant saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't believe I did that".

"I called the ambulance and said my son had been stabbed," she said.

Balin was pronounced dead at 11.50pm after his parents, neighbours, police and paramedics attempted to revive him.

Under cross examination from barrister Charlotte Smith, Kerri-Lyn said it was possible the defendant had also said "'I didn't mean it'".

Michael testified he was initially less worried after looking at this son's chest wound, which was only 1cm to 2cm wide.

"There was not a lot of blood and it didn't look not as bad as I first thought. I later learned that this was because it hit his heart," he said.

The jury was later shown a video of a police conversation with the girl who had been romantically involved with Balin and the defendant.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and Balin decided to make and send provocative videos, which suggested they had resumed a relationship, to the defendant.

The defendant responded by saying he had driven to Balin's home and dared him to come outside.

The girl said the defendant punched Balin, pulled out a knife and said he was going to kill him.

"(Balin) fell to the floor. I didn't know he stabbed him. I was so confused," the girl said.

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Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan has warned against creating a racially charged debate over the Indigenous voice to parliament.

The call for civility comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivers the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration in Adelaide on Monday night, where he will take aim at opponents of the voice and reaffirm his confidence that the referendum will succeed.

Mr Tan said it was important the debate did not descend into one of race.

"The voice is not about race, it's about participation, equity ... elevating the position of First Nations people," he told the ABC.

"It's about a ... journey we've travelled for a long time in this country, about finding a way out and moving forward to support our Indigenous peoples."

Mr Albanese said "doomsayers" were promoting scare campaigns that underestimated Australians "so radically".

"Australians won't succumb to their appeals to fear and their ever more ludicrous invitations to jump at our own shadows," he says.

"That's because Australians have a healthy scepticism of doomsayers, a scepticism kept in good health by memories of all the predictions offered by the Chicken Littles of the past."

The latest polls show support for the voice has dropped to a slight majority, with the 'no' case on track to win if the trend doesn't change.

The voice legislation is expected to be voted on in the lower house this week, before it heads to the Senate.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who last week described the voice as Orwellian, also called for a respectful debate.

"The prime minister (is) out there name calling people and others suggesting that people are racist because they don't support the voice, it's completely and utterly unacceptable," he told reporters in Victoria.

Indigenous leader and prominent advocate for a 'no' vote, Warren Mundine, said the debate was starting to become "really disgraceful".

"This referendum is dividing Australia and you see it in the polling, and you see it out in the community," he told the ABC.

Prominent 'yes' campaigner Noel Pearson has warned a rejection of the voice would put an end to reconciliation in Australia.

The referendum is expected to be held between October and November this year.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe said the voice did not have enough power to be effective.

"In 1967, more than 90% of people voted yes in the referendum to include First Nations mob in the constitution, but what difference did it actually make to Blak lives," she wrote on Twitter.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud said his party had a culture of allowing divergent views, and respected Liberal MPs who supported the voice.

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West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced his shock resignation, midway through his second term in office.

Mr McGowan, 55, held a snap press conference on Monday where he confirmed his intention to step down as premier and the member for Rockingham.

"Today I'm announcing I will be stepping down as premier and as member for Rockingham," he told reporters.

The former Navy lawyer, who shepherded WA through the COVID-19 pandemic, led Labor to crushing election victories in 2017 and 2021, the latter securing his party the biggest parliamentary majority in the state's history.

He had previously insisted he would serve out the remainder of his second term as premier before considering his future.

He made the announcement flanked by members of his ministry.

© AAP 2023