Source : the age
Peter Malinauskas has claimed a commanding second-term victory in South Australia, using a landslide result to call for a more generous and inclusive politics even as a surging One Nation carved deeply into the major parties’ vote.
With counting well advanced on Saturday night, Labor was on track to secure at least 32 of the 47 seats in parliament, cementing the premier’s authority despite a modest primary vote swing against the government. The Liberals were reduced to a handful of seats, while One Nation’s vote surged across regional and working-class areas, securing the seat of Hammond and boosting its upper house presence.
In a victory speech that leaned as much on tone as triumph, Malinauskas reached beyond his base, invoking the bush ethos of Henry Lawson’s poem The Duty of Australians to frame his appeal for unity.
“When we all combine, we can achieve anything,” he said. “When we work together, diversity has always been our greatest strength.
“If we focus on what unites us – a shared love of living in a peaceful, prosperous place, a state full of hard-working people that value care and compassion – then we can harness this moment with our newfound confidence.”
The result delivers Labor one of its strongest mandates in the state’s history, even as it underscores a shifting political landscape. Labor’s primary vote settled around 38 per cent, ahead of One Nation on about 21 per cent and the Liberals languishing near 19 per cent — a dramatic collapse of 16 per cent from four years ago.
Malinauskas, careful to temper the scale of the win, warned colleagues against complacency.
“Although this is a historic result, although it is the best result our party has ever achieved, it’s very important that no one confuses tonight’s result as adulation,” he said. “Instead, we should see it as only being an invitation to continue to work our guts out for the next four years.”
The premier confirmed he had received concession calls from Liberal leader Ashton Hurn and One Nation’s Cory Bernardi, signalling a willingness to work across an increasingly fractured parliament.
“I say to both Ashton and Cory, along with leaders of other political parties elected tonight, that my government stands ready to work with each and every one of you for as long as it is in the interests of South Australians,” he said.
The scale of the Liberal defeat was quickly apparent. Hurn conceded before 9.30pm, describing the outcome as “a tough night” and acknowledging the need for deep reflection. The party’s vote collapsed in suburban Adelaide and across key regional centres, squeezed by Labor on one side and One Nation on the other.
The party’s primary vote was sitting at single digits in several seats, including Kaurna, Reynell, Cheltenham, Ramsay, Florey, Elizabeth, Port Adelaide, Playford, Black, Giles, and Hurtle Vale.
Former leader Vincent Tarzia was among the casualties, losing Hartley.
“There’s absolutely no doubt about it, that things are tough,” Hurn said. “And lessons must be learnt.”
“The voters never get it wrong. It’s up to us to heed their advice. Now is the time to come together as a party.”
The rise of One Nation, led federally by Pauline Hanson, translated strong polling into electoral gains, with at least one lower house seat. The party’s state leader Bernardi secured an upper house seatfor himself and declared an “earthquake” had rattled the major parties.
Hanson said she felt “vindicated”, pointing to the result as part of a broader national shift. “I think the rest of Australia is going to be watching what’s happening here tonight,” she said, linking the outcome to looming contests including the Farrer byelection and November’s Victorian poll.
She later added the surge was “just the start”, describing an “undercurrent” of voters turning away from the political mainstream.
“It’s not just a protest vote … you have no idea what the hell has happened in this country, there is a movement and there is an undercurrent, and it is people saying we’ve had a gutful, we want our country back,” she said.
The election result reinforces Labor’s dominance — the party has now won five of the past six state elections — but also highlights the volatility beneath the surface. More than a third of votes were cast early, and several seats remain in doubt for days as complex preference flows are counted.
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.
