Steven Marshall riding high in a state of Covid-19 freedom

SA Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

With his entire state in its third lockdown and an election eight months away, Steven Marshall has an unusual slogan at his disposal as he seeks a second term: Where else would you rather be?

The decision of Marshall and his all-important health and police chiefs to place South Australia into its first lockdown of 2021 was less politically fraught than you might think.

Marshall benefited from two sentiments this past fortnight as SA went from total freedom to a harsh seven-day lockdown that eclipsed the 2020 closures for severity. The public mood quickly shifted from one of pride in the fact SA avoided lockdown this entire year to an impassioned consensus – shared even by the opposition – that the state had to lock down urgently to nip this cluster in the bud.

Both sentiments are welcome for a Premier on the cusp of seeking a second term. Marshall has in the past month received welcome independent endorsements, which augur well for his Covid strategy ahead of the poll.

The first was the feel-good factor of The Economist naming Adelaide as Australia’s most liveable city, which in the SA public’s mind reflected the fact we had coasted through Covid by world and domestic standards. More valuable was the Roy Morgan report into national Covid management, which had SA “top of the class” with fewer days in lockdown than any state and the least onerous restrictions on business.

Historically, Adelaide has always been a well-adjusted place in that it has a chip on both shoulders. It often compared itself to Sydney and Melbourne with what could be fairly described as an inferiority complexity. Today, Adelaide looks at those cities and says: Pity the poor buggers over there.

Marshall can claim credit for setting the parameters that made this possible, and governed without panache but a brand of muted managerialism. He is the former furniture factory owner and takeaway entrepreneur who came late to politics, with the confidence to delegate and a commitment to surrounding himself with capable people. And unlike every other mainland state leader, he has never taken a potshot at Scott Morrison nor any other premier, as befits the leader of a state that prides itself on its civility.

The SA approach to Covid contrasts markedly with NSW and Victoria. Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews have been the flawed, divisive stars of those sad old shows. Berejiklian has lost her gloss, having indulged fawning praise over her apparent “gold standard”, accused now of failing to move fast enough on restrictions when case numbers demanded as much. Andrews conversely has had a hair-trigger on his lockdown gun and remains a damaged manager thanks to the quarantine fiasco.

For all the deification of Saint Gladys, the truth is SA has enjoyed greater mobility, largely unfettered business activity and busier pubs and restaurants than NSW. By going hard and fast against this Delta flare-up, SA will regain those freedoms more quickly thanks to that rarest of things – a lockdown that not only worked but ended on time.