Peter Malinauskas era dawns: Labor seizes power in stunning landslide

The polls were right. South Australia has a new government, after Peter Malinauskas’s Labor Party stormed to a massive victory last night, leaving the Liberals shattered.

Peter Malinauskas has stormed to a landslide victory that propelled Labor back into power after just one term in opposition and left his opponent Steven Marshall fighting to hold his own seat.

In a measured speech claiming victory before 10pm, the Labor Leader warned against triumphalism and vowed to deliver “a fairer, better society and more opportunity for those who need it most”.

“It is not lost on me the significance of the privilege and the size of the responsibility that you’ve invested in me, in my team,'' the premier-elect said.

The Liberal bloodbath was a triumph for first-term Mr Malinauskas, who deployed an overwhelmingly successful future-focused campaign to overturn Labor’s 2018 ousting after 16 years in power.

Labor was ahead in 27 seats to the Liberals 16 with more than half of the statewide vote counted.

Newly elected Premier Peter Malinauskas arrives at Labor’s victory party at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

The Liberal leadership team of Mr Marshall and outgoing Deputy Premier Dan van Holst Pellekaan were imperilled in their own seats.

In the first test of incumbency after the Omicron wave swept the nation from last December, Mr Marshall became the first one-term SA premier in 40 years.

Conceding defeat just before 9pm, Mr Marshall said despite being turned out of office after one term, the Liberal Party had changed the state.

“I’ve never felt more positive, more positive about the future of the state than I do at the moment,’’ he said.

The elated crowd at Labor’s election party at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Mr Malinauskas warned against any sense of triumphalism from his supporters. He paid tribute to the health workers who underpinned the centrepiece of his campaign – a vow to fix ambulance ramping and grow capacity in public hospitals.

“Naturally, people of South Australian Labor are right to feel satisfied tonight, but true satisfaction for us comes in realising our ambition, our ideal of delivering a fairer, better society and more opportunity for those who need it most,’’ Mr Malinauskas said.

“Tonight, I do want to particularly acknowledge all those hardworking people within our health system.

“Every doctor, every nurse, every hospital orderly, that all served us so incredibly well during the pandemic but a particular shout out tonight to our ambos.’’

The Labor wave overwhelmed the one-time Liberal stronghold of Davenport, which had been held with an 8.4 per cent margin by former party state president Steve Murray, who was poised to be ousted by Labor candidate and Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson.

Four key metropolitan marginal seats fell to Labor – Adelaide, Newland, Elder and King.

Outgoing Transport Minister Corey Wingard was at risk in his southeastern Adelaide seat of Gibson after a swing to Labor of more than 10 per cent.

Mr Marshall was clinging to his inner eastern seat of Dunstan after at 6.5 per cent swing to Labor candidate Cressida O’Hanlon – a result Labor had been forecasting.

The Liberals were under assault in the regions, where independent Geoff Brock surged ahead in Stuart against Mr van Holst Pellekaan and outgoing Primary Industries minister David Basham was in danger in Finniss, in a surprise result.

Independent Speaker Dan Cregan, who rocked the minority Liberal government with a stunning defection last October, was easily returned in his Adelaide seat of Kavel – with more than 75 per cent of the two-party preferred vote from more than 50 per cent counted.

Independent Fraser Ellis, who plunged the Liberals into minority last February when he joined the crossbench, comfortably held his Yorke Peninsula seat of Narungga.

Former Liberal turned independent Troy Bell also was a clear winner in Mount Gambier.

Liberal Alex Hyde, a former deputy lord mayor, reclaimed the southeastern suburban seat of Waite from former party member turned independent Sam Duluk.

Mr Malinauskas and his wife Annabel vote at Woodville Gardens School. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Despite the Liberal rout, an upbeat Mr Marshall addressed the Liberal faithful at Norwood’s Robin Hood Hotel, saying the loss “did not take away from the work that we have done in South Australia over the past four years”.

“We came to government four years ago promising more jobs, lower costs and more services when the figures came out this week we had record full-time employment in South Australia, we have more young people coming back and staying in South Australia than ever before,” he said.

“I think we have immeasurably changed South Australia. We put it on a new trajectory going forward.”

Targeted Liberal text messages were issued to voters warning “don’t risk your future with Labor, which the Electoral Commission said did not breach rules because they were not covered by an election-day paid advertising blackout.

On a day that reached a maximum 33.7C in Adelaide, long queues with some estimated waits of two hours were reported across the city, including at Brighton, in the seat of Gibson, and in the Hartley and Dunstan electorates.

Off-duty paramedics rushed to help a 99-year-old woman who collapsed while waiting to vote at Edwardstown Primary School, in Badcoe, and treated her at the scene.

And in a bizarre encounter, a man was ushered away from Mr Malinauskas at the voting booth after his pants fell down when shouting “Peter is number one”. He explained he forgot his belt.

SA Premier Steven Marshall in a queue prior to voting at Norwood Primary School. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

In an election disrupted by the pandemic, final figures show 200,136 people cast pre-poll ballots and 170,081 lodged applications for postal votes A further 21,316 voters applied to the Electoral Commission SA for a voting pack because they had Covid-19, were in isolation, or were a close contact.

The last time any Australian government changed parties was in 2018, when the Marshall-led Liberals ended 16 years of Labor rule. Western Australian Labor Premier Mark McGowan spearheaded a Liberal rout last March, winning 53 of 59 seats in an election that turned on that state’s tough Covid-19 elimination stance.

Party time as King Mali has his day

By Kathryn Bermingham

The party was building at Adelaide Oval well before Labor’s hero, Peter Malinauskas, had arrived.

Confidence was also growing at Labor’s main election-night function as it looked certain of an unexpected election landslide.

Volunteers in high spirits started arriving just before 8pm as preparations were underway for the arrival of Mr Malinauskas later in the night.

They clapped and cheered as the count revealed a large swing to Labor in the crucial electorate of Adelaide, where Lucy Hood looked to have unseated Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson.

Her mum, Penny Taylor, said she was “very pleased” with the way the count was tracking.

“She’s done everything she could, she’s worked so hard for so long and I’m just so excited for all of them,” she said.

“I just want to thank her campaign team, the volunteers who have given so much.”

By 8pm, Labor was ahead in 23 seats, including the Liberal-held marginals of Elder, Newland and King.

Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson. Picture: Dean Martin

Their candidates were also leading in Liberal-held Davenport and Colton, which had been considered an “outside chance” of changing hands.

Despite the large swing, excited supporters said it was still too early to call with certainty.

Earlier in the day, Mr Malinauskas and his wife, Annabel, voted at Woodville Gardens School in his electorate of Croydon.

He appeared relaxed as he mingled with voters, including one woman who chided him for calling a group of male Young Liberals “girls” after they ambushed his morning run midway through the campaign.

“I really respect you, I’m voting for health … but you must regret those comments about ‘girls’,” she said.

Mr Malinauskas replied that “it was a silly quip”.

“It was a quip that I’m kicking myself about,” he said. “The truth is, when leaders speak, words matter.”

However, the woman went on to compliment Mr Malinauskas on his fitness.

“I judge people on the care they take of themselves,” she said. “So I’m really for you.”

He also laughed off a bizarre encounter with a man who dropped his pants during a brief conversation.

At a press conference held at the school, Mr Malinauskas became visibly emotional when talking about the support of his family throughout the campaign.

“We’re capable, like any other family, of stepping up to the plate when asked to do so and I look forward to that opportunity if I get it,” he said.

He said he was conscious of the responsibility that had been invested in him.

“I’m also very conscious of the responsibility that may be invested in me if I do become premier and that would just be the most remarkable of privileges,” he said.

Marshall’s worst fears come true

By Elizabeth Henson

Premier Steven Marshall was all smiles behind his Covid-19 mask as he cast his vote at Norwood Primary School on Saturday morning.

But as night fell and the election results started rolling in, he was battling not just to retain government – which looked increasingly unlikely – but also to retain his own seat of Dunstan.

By 8pm, and with 16 per cent of his electorate’s votes counted, Mr Marshall was only slightly ahead of Labor’s Cressida O’Hanlon, with 50.4 per cent of the two-party preferred vote compared to his counterpart’s 49.6 per cent.

This represented a 7.1 per cent swing to Labor. Mr Marshall had held the seat with a margin of 7.4 per cent.

About 150 Liberal supporters were at the Robin Hood Hotel for the Liberal Party’s post-election celebration by 8pm. While the results were looking ominous, the mood remained upbeat as the party faithful awaited their leader’s arrival.

Earlier in the day, Mr Marshall shrugged off pre-election polls that tipped his opponent, Labor leader Peter Malinauskas, usurping him after only one term in government.

He spent the rest of election day visiting metropolitan polling booths, including in the state’s most marginal seat Newland, as well as King, Adelaide and Elder.

Despite riding a wave of popularity throughout most of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shine had slowly worn off in the lead-up to Saturday’s election, and by the time South Australians went to the polls Mr Marshall was the underdog. But if this bothered him, he didn’t let it show.

“I’m not a big one for the accuracy of those polls,” he said.

“They haven’t turned out to be particularly accurate in recent times ... at the last state election I was coming third (in the polls behind Labor and SA-Best).

Defeated Premier Steven Marshall casts his vote at Norwood Primary School. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

“I was told by the media at a similar conference to this one four years ago that there was no way I could form a majority government but that is precisely what we did.”

In fact, Mr Marshall was talking up his chances, confident his government had done enough over the past four years to secure a second term.

“I’m very confident that the people of South Australia will vote in their own interest and have a continuing Liberal government in South Australia,” he said.

“They can’t be fooled. They remember what happened under Labor. They won’t forget Oaken. They won’t forget the child protection crisis in South Australia, the closure of the Repat, the sky-high energy prices, the statewide blackout – that’s what Labor delivered in 16 years.”

In a last-ditch push for votes, Mr Marshall spruiked his government’s record, saying it had delivered lower energy and water prices and reduced the emergency services levy and car registration.

“What the people of South Australia can see now is a competent Liberal government that can manage the economy, which means that we can invest in those things that are important to families, like fixing our health system once and for all and continuing to lower the cost of living for all South Australian families,” he said.