Your Say SA reveals Marshall, Malinauskas riding high in wake of Canberra coups as state hits reset button

MAJOR party leaders in SA are both enjoying popularity boosts courtesy of the chaos in Canberra as a landmark survey reveals the Marshall honeymoon is far from over. SEE THE RESULTS.

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A LANDMARK statewide survey of more than 4000 people has delivered a resounding vote of confidence in Premier Steven Marshall.

The Sunday Mail’s fifth annual YourSaySA survey has also given the tick of approval for Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas.

The survey has found 79 per cent of people rate Premier Steven Marshall’s new State Government’s performance as average or better.

This is a massive rise in the 39 per cent who rated his Labor predecessor Jay Weatherill average or better in the same survey last year.

Results of survey will feature in a special edition of the Sunday Mail this weekend.

The survey opened just before the new Government’s first State Budget, and continued until well after, with results indicating the fallout hasn’t dampened the honeymoon.

Mr Marshall is enjoying solid personal support, as just 21 per cent say his performance has been poor or very poor.

Last year, Mr Weatherill rated 60 per cent on that measure.

The results follow one of the most complex state elections in memory, marked by breakout early polling results for former Senator Nick Xenophon’s SA Best before the phenomenon fizzled out under the pressure of an intense campaign and left it with no Lower House seats.

SA Centre for Economic Studies executive director Michael O’Neil said an overall more generous view of the state’s leaders could be explained by fears of a catastrophe as Holden exited were not realised, and the contrast between local stability and Canberra’s chaos.

“People might have turned their attention more now to SA given all the carry on at the Federal Government level has made them pretty dismayed at the unexplained way in which (former prime minister Malcolm) Turnbull lost his job,” Professor O’Neil said.

“Steven Marshall has kept things pretty low-key but avoided the great big stuff ups that Weatherill was experiencing around Oakden and the ICAC, and TAFE as well.

“The handling of the job losses at GMH was done very well.

“We didn’t see unemployment really ratcheting up significantly in the northern areas, which was the real scare.

“That fear didn’t eventuate and economically SA is picking up.

“That’s given Marshall time.”

Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Dylan Cookers

Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas. Picture: AAP Image/Morgan Sette

Mr Marshall’s current support suggests he is also taking advantage of the new power and authority that comes with his new role, and contrasts starkly with his time in Opposition.

Last year, 53 per cent of respondents said he was doing a poor or very poor job.

That figure has more than halved, and as the number of people who say Mr Marshall is doing either an excellent or good job leaps from a combined 8 per cent last year to 42 per cent.

Opposition Leader and former health minister Peter Malinauskas is also benefiting from the state’s political reset, with voters appearing open to giving him a fair hearing.

His combined poor or very poor rating is 33 per cent.

However, a significant 48 per cent say he is doing an average job.

That suggests he can make further gains over the next three and a half years before facing the electorate by carving out a sharper public image.

Mr Malinauskas said soon after taking the job that he wanted to present as a positive opposition leader and alternative premier, a move aimed at keeping his negative ratings low as attack dogs like former treasurer Tom Koutsantonis work to dust up the new Government.

The improved results across the board for SA’s political leaders mirror better times generally for the state as unemployment declines and consumer and business confidence rise.

However, the Government soon faces significant tests of its agenda in State Parliament as major reforms including extended shop trading hours and council rate capping stall.

Treasurer Rob Lucas says he intends to push shop trading to a vote when sitting resumes later this month, but appears headed for a failure as Labor and the crossbench oppose change.

Rate capping faces a similar fate, with the Government only able to count on the support of one Upper House crossbencher and likely to fall two votes short of a passing coalition.

Earlier this year, Mr Marshall told The Advertiser he wanted to run a no-frills Government that under-promised and over-delivered to voters who were sick and tired of false promises.

“In the lead-up to the election, we were keen not to over-promise,” he said.

“We want to provide certainty to the market. We want to be a grown-up government and deliver on every single one of the commitments we made.”