Premier Peter Malinauskas reveals his ‘shameful addiction’ to instant coffee

Premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed his “shameful addiction”, for which he blames his wife.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed his “shameful addiction”, for which he blames his wife, that is fuelled from a hidden cupboard in his Parliament House office.

An instant coffee craving has become a compulsion that Mr Malinauskas satisfies with up to seven cups per day.

Peter Malinauskas has a secret addiction and it’s Moccona coffee.

In a behind-the-scenes video filmed by The Advertiser in the Premier’s office, Mr Malinauskas displays his instant coffee stash and kettle, which are stored in a cleverly disguised Parliament House cupboard.

“Particularly on (parliamentary) sitting days, whenever I’ve got a spare moment, I satisfy my addiction, my shameful addiction, which is, tragically, for good, old-fashioned instant coffee, which we’ve got tucked away in here,” Mr Malinauskas says, revealing his stash.

“So, what otherwise seemingly looks like a door to a special meeting room, is actually, in fact, just a place I can make a coffee.

“My instant coffee brand of choice is actually Moccona. There was a graduation from Nescafe Blend 43 – but now I’m on the good oil, I’m on the Moccona.”

The Premier then reveals the trigger for his instant coffee addiction – his corporate lawyer wife Annabel West introduced him to the habit.

This was some years ago – well before he entered parliament in late 2015 – and dates back to his years as the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association state secretary.

“My addiction – I actually blame my wife for, which sounds like a bad place to start, but it’s true,” he says.

Peter Malinauskas secret stash of instant coffee.

“When we started living together, Annabel, who drinks a dozen of these a day, just started making them around the house and, before I knew it, I was having them. Then, literally within a month, for me, I found myself having five coffees a day.

“I reckon yesterday, on a (parliamentary) sitting day, I would have had at least seven – so it’s a bad habit – but it could be worse.”

Firing a broadside at Melbourne’s reputation as a coffee capital, Mr Malinauskas insists South Australia has the nation’s best brews.

“Absolutely. By a proverbial mile. All these Melburnians think they know how to make good coffee – but not like here in South Australia,” he says.

“In South Australia, we do coffee far better than the rest of the nation, even better than Victoria – and I say by some margin.”

Mr Malinauskas also reveals his family’s favourite coffee haunts in his inner-western Adelaide electorate of Croydon.

His wife, Annabel, is a partner in Adelaide-based Thomson Geer lawyers’ corporate team, specialising in corporations and securities law.