The ‘buff’ man elected as the next Premier of South Australia started his working life as a trolley boy

Peter Malinauskas started working as a trolley boy at Woolworths at just 15. Now he’s Australia’s newest Premier.

At the age of 15, Peter Malinauskas clocked in for his first day at his first job, as a trolley boy for Woolworths.

He would work for the company for seven years – first rounding up trolleys, then on check-outs and night filling.

He would go on to become secretary of the state’s branch of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association before he made his bid for politics.

Mr Malinauskas filled a Legislative Council casual vacancy in 2015 before he was promoted to cabinet in 2016.

He was elected to parliament in 2018 as the member for Croydon before he became leader of the Labor Party.

And, as of Monday, the 41-year-old is the 47th premier of South Australia.

My first job was right here at Woolworths as a trolley boy at 15 years old. I loved my job at Woolies; it was a great...

Posted by Peter Malinauskas on Sunday, December 6, 2020

Labor leader Peter Malinauskas will be sworn in as the 47th South Australian Premier on Monday. Picture: Keryn Stevens

On a more superficial note, last month, the man who would become South Australia’s next leader made a splash – literally and figuratively – and set tongues wagging when he posed for a photograph shirtless in a swimming pool last month.

If anyone was unaware of who the state’s Labor leader was at the time, it seemed everyone suddenly knew.

It was about five weeks out from the SA election and the opposition leader was at Adelaide Aquatic Centre to make an announcement to the media when the photographs were snapped.

The father-of-three, who has admitted going to the gym up to three times per week, appeared to be giving new meaning to the term “dad bod”.

Peter Malinauskas with his daughter Eliza at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. This is among the photos that set tongues wagging. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Peter Malinauskas enjoys running and is often wearing sleeveless shirts when he exercises. Picture: Peter Malinauskas

He even posted his own photograph on Instagram, carrying his young daughter Eliza, with both of them grinning widely — and his strong arm fully flexed.

“Guns out, suns out,” one person commented.

“Hope those guns aren’t loaded,” another person said.

A third person wrote: “I didn’t know Peter had a set of guns on him.”

Outgoing Premier Steven Marshall likened it to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s famous shirtless photograph and suggested Mr Malinauskas had more time on his hands than he did to exercise.

“There’s no Putin-style campaigning from me, I can guarantee,” he told ABC radio.

Peter Malinauskas admits he likes to go to the gym regularly. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas with his wife Annabel, Jack (4), Sophie (6) and Eliza (22 months), as well as his parents Peter and Kate at home. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Mr Malinauskas is married to Annabel and they have three young children — Sophie, Jack and Eliza.

In his spare time, Mr Malinauskas enjoys watching a Port Adelaide AFL game or playing for Adelaide Uni.

He describes himself as a “pretty average footy player” and a “weekend gardener”.

“My grandparents left war-torn Europe in the 40s in search of a better life for our family,” he said in a campaign video.

Peter Malinauskas as a prefect at Adelaide’s Mercedes College in the late 1990s. Photo: Supplied

“My parents worked tirelessly to teach me the value of hard work.

“Now, I have a young family of my own and I want to provide a better future for them too.”

Mr Malinauskas has run a presidential style campaign which saw SA Labor returned to government after just one term in opposition.