SA Election 2022: Who won the final debate, Steven Marshall or Peter Malinauskas?

There has been a convincing winner in the final debate before South Australia heads to the polls. Paul Starick analyses the leaders’ performances.

Peter Malinauskas has convincingly won the final campaign debate by outpointing Premier Steven Marshall with his impassioned future-focused pitch.

Shedding the initial nervousness of the first debate last Thursday, Mr Malinauskas won over the audience of 100 undecided voters by arguing for tough reforms on health and education, rather than tinkering at the edges.

Mr Marshall put in a convincing, measured and statesmanlike performance, effectively putting his case that a strong and growing economy was needed to fund health and other services.

But he is poised to be undone by the political maxim – what have you done for me lately? Mr Marshall is forced to defend holes in an impressive economic record by a Labor leader ruthlessly amplifying hospital ramping issues that have affected much of the nation.

Mr Malinauskas is succeeding with an argument about the future. Mr Marshall, the incumbent, is defending his record and warning of the risks of returning to Labor.

The undecided voters echoed opinion polls and bookies’ odds by rewarding Mr Malinauskas for his disciplined performance and impressive oratory.

Premier Steven Marshall and Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Keryn Stevens

They rewarded his frankness in declaring that politicians did not set grocery or fuel prices, even if Mr Marshall correctly challenged him over energy and water costs.

The Labor leader did stumble, though, over retail trading hours, when Mr Marshall hammered home the point that he wanted to give consumers the choice to shop when they wanted but Mr Malinauskas, a former shop assistants’ union boss, was wedded to his past.

Mr Marshall had won the campaign’s first debate with a more assured performance. Mr Malinauskas’s slightly nervous opening left some Labor insiders questioning whether he was feeling the pressure of favouritism.

But the Liberals failed to capitalise on a brief fillip in campaign momentum – an Advertiser- YouGov poll published showed Labor trouncing the Liberals on two-party preferred support, 56 per cent to 44 per cent.

Mr Malinauskas assembled Labor MPs and candidates for an online hook-up at 8pm on Tuesday – an hour after the poll was published on Advertiser.com.au – to demand they not relax but spare no effort campaigning until polls close on Saturday.

As the hour-long debate closed, Mr Marshall fixed a wide grin at the cameras. But Mr Malinauskas looks more and more like he might be smiling after Saturday night.