South Australia’s rising political powers: Who are the future leaders of the Labor Party?
In the rough and tumble world of Labor Party politics, these 13 fresh-faced South Australians have been tipped as future leadership material.
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They come from far and wide, each with different stories, but all found their political home in the Australian Labor Party.
These rising stars have all been tipped as future political leaders by party elders, and many have already held senior leadership roles.
But the road was not easy and getting there required determination, grit and belief.
Here are 13 South Australian faces to look out for on the Labor benches in the years to come and then check out The Advertiser’s list of rising Liberal stars.
Jordan Mumford
He is the assistant secretary of the powerful shoppies’ union at just 28, and a path in the labour movement seemed inevitable for Jordan Mumford.
His family hailed from St Helens in England, a former mining town “left behind” by Thatcherism and previously labelled the suicide capital of England by British media.
Mumford moved to Australia aged seven and joined the Labor Party while studying Aviation at the University of South Australia, amid student pushback against fee deregulation.
“I’ve always been around Labor politics in some way – it wasn’t like as a family we spoke about politics at the dinner table, but it was always there in the background,” he said.
A former fast food worker, he joined the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association eight years ago and is now spearheading the union’s equal pay campaign for young workers.
Ashton Charvetto
Asked what drew him to Labor politics, 21-year-old Ashton Charvetto said it was the life experiences of his immigrant parents.
In the 1980s, his father was bashed by thugs who scrawled “f**king wog” on his licence, a story which the 21-year-old said galvanised his anti-discrimination views.
After a work accident, his dad found a new job because of the Commonwealth Employment Scheme, originally a Labor program.
Since joining Labor at 15, Charvetto, who is also studying law, was twice president of South Australian Young Labor and now works for Deputy Premier Susan Close.
“You have to consult widely and make sure people are heard … I’ve learned that nobody will put you down if you ask a question,” he said.
Olivia Savvas
Being the youngest MP in state parliament is an extraordinary achievement but it did not come easy for Olivia Savvas.
The 28-year-old was elected to the northeast seat of Newland in Labor’s last election win, having called the area home nearly her entire life.
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After her victory, she spoke to The Advertiser of being inspired by the women in her family, many who dealt with domestic violence and insecure housing.
“What you need in a Member of parliament is a fighter and I’ve got that in droves,” she said.
Apart from being a Tea Tree Gully councillor for three years, Savvas also brought her experience as a counter-terrorism analyst and union organiser to parliament.
Eloise Atterton
Finishing with the highest grades in her university program, the possibilities were endless for Eloise Atterton.
However, the 25-year-old social sciences and psychology graduate said she was determined to take her political career further.
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Though only in the Labor Party since 2020, she is currently vice president of Australian Young Labor and works for Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth as a campaigns co-ordinator.
“I feel passionate about helping the young people in my life, especially my siblings … I feel an obligation to make sure the world is a better place for them in their futures,” Atterton said.
Ella Shaw
Ella Shaw may be the person who turns a Liberal stronghold red.
Not as a politician – yet – but rather Labor’s national campaigning organiser for South Australia and the Northern Territory, at the age of just 26.
Before studying law and social sciences at the University of Adelaide, Shaw grew up on the Yorke Peninsula in the electorate of Grey – the state’s largest voting bloc and a blue ribbon seat for 31 years.
She hopes to change that one day and said she approached her work with the philosophy “all politics is local”.
“Some people are interested in the big picture, but most people want to know how policies will lower their energy bills or give them some tax relief,” Shaw said.
“We have to communicate that, and it’s not always easy, but that’s the challenge of it and why I love campaigning.”
Rebecca Vandepeear
Politics and doing gymnastics on horseback and may not seem to have much in common, but Rebecca Vandepeear would disagree.
The 26-year-old Playford councillor was an equestrian vaulter in her past life, representing Australia in the junior world championships aged 17.
She said the sport taught her the value of “trust and having courage”, both much needed qualities for a tilt at politics.
“It can be easy on council to get wrapped up in the administration and day-to-day functions, but it’s important to stay connected to the community,” she said.
“I think there is a need as well to show young people that politics is accessible and they can make the system work for them.”
Vandepeear is also a full-time adviser for Multicultural Affairs Zoe Bettison.
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Billy Zimmermann
Billy Zimmermann is currently assistant to South Australia’s government whip, working in what he calls the “engine room of government”.
The whip’s role is a delicate balance of setting the daily parliament agenda, marshalling votes from MPs and ensuring government works like a well-oiled machine.
History student Zimmermann, 24, has also worked for several politicians and was a paralegal on the ongoing McDonald’s underpayment class action.
Acknowledging that student politics was often disparaged, he called his time in it a “valuable experience”.
“It’s a bit of a wild west and sometimes quite chaotic, but you become a good negotiator and a good debater, which are really important life skills,” he said.
Georgia Thomas
Former University of Adelaide student presidents include several MPs and at least one prime minister, Julia Gillard.
Twenty three-year-old Georgia Thomas is on that list too but said her real passion in politics was organising on the field.
She joined Labor in 2021 after a stint working in Centrelink, often fielding calls from young people struggling to make ends meet.
“It was horrible hearing some of those stories, and it just made me realise something needs to change,” she said.
Thomas is also vice president of South Australian Young Labor and is finishing an arts degree majoring in politics and sociology.
John Atkinson
John Atkinson is well-positioned for a tilt at politics, holding one of the most senior advisory roles within the Malinauskas government as chief of staff to Treasurer Stephen Mullighan.
Atkinson has worked as an adviser for Mullighan for since early 2016, when his boss was appointed Housing and Urban Development Minister.
Atkinson might have strong political pedigree – his father is former Speaker and Attorney-General Michael Atkinson – but his experience is broader.
He was a factory worker at an embroidery and screen print firm for six years, and also has worked as a service station attendant and concrete labourer.
Josh Peak
If there is a template for a political career in South Australian Labor, Josh Peak is following it to the letter.
His past three predecessors as the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association’s state secretary are Trade Minister Don Farrell, Premier Peter Malinauskas and the Premier’s deputy chief of staff, Sonia Romeo.
Like Malinauskas before he entered parliament in 2015, Peak is a member of the ALP national executive, the 28-member group that is the party’s chief administrative authority.
The Right-aligned SDA is the state’s biggest and most powerful union, handing the state secretary major influence within Labor and a prized springboard to enter politics.
Tom Mooney
Tom Mooney is a respected long-term staffer to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and has been her chief of staff since 2020.
A law clerk at Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers for four years until 2011, Mooney worked for state Labor ministers Jennifer Rankine and Ian Hunter before joining Wong’s office in 2016.
Highly rated by the Left, particularly by Wong, Mooney has gathered valuable political and policy experience through spearheading both her foreign affairs portfolio and Government Senate Leader role.
Lawrence Ben
Another extremely well-connected and highly regarded staffer, Lawrence Ben is economics adviser to Premier Peter Malinauskas.
He also is another graduate of the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association, where he worked for more than four years as an organiser and training and campaign co-ordinator.
Other roles included as a lawyer at Johnston Withers and for the SDA’s United States equivalent, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
During his US stint, Ben lived in New York City and worked in political roles, spending time on Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign.
On the personal front, he is engaged to the daughter of Labor Right “Godfather”, Trade Minister Don Farrell.
Lucy Caruso
Lucy Caruso is the long-term media adviser to federal Health Minister Mark Butler, a key figure in Labor’s Left nationally and a former party state and federal president.
The affable and professional Caruso is highly rated by Butler and colleagues.
Raised in Adelaide’s western suburbs – she was Nazareth Catholic College captain – Caruso is well-positioned to move into a seat in Labor’s heartland.
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