South Australia Premier Warns Election is Crucial Vote on Political Future
South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas has framed the upcoming state election as a critical ballot on the future of politics, urging voters to reject 'division and discord' amid a significant surge in support for the right-wing One Nation party. Launching Labor's re-election campaign in Adelaide on Sunday, just one month before the vote, Malinauskas projected a vision of optimism for the southern state.
Polling Points to Dramatic Political Shift
Recent polling indicates a potentially crushing victory for Malinauskas's Labor government, while the Liberal opposition faces a near-wipeout that could see them eclipsed by the anti-immigration One Nation. A YouGov poll published on Friday revealed the state opposition languishing at just 20 per cent of the primary vote, trailing behind One Nation at 22 per cent.
Labor enjoys a commanding 59-41 per cent lead over the opposition on a two-party preferred basis. YouGov director Paul Smith predicted the Liberals could win as few as four of the state's 47 lower-house seats, down from an already record-low 13.
Malinauskas Calls for Politics of Optimism
In his campaign launch speech, Malinauskas repeatedly emphasized the word 'opportunity' more than a dozen times while pointing to major housing plans and South Australia's role in building Australia's future nuclear submarines through multibillion-dollar industry investments.
'On the ballot is the kind of politics we want in this state, even in this country,' Malinauskas told the crowd of Labor faithful. 'Do we want the politics of division and discord driven by identity and tribalism ... or do we want something else, the politics of optimism, the politics of ambition?'
Housing Policy Takes Center Stage
Labor shifted its campaign focus to housing with twin announcements on Sunday, including $1 billion in funding to accelerate home-building and an incentive for empty nesters to downsize. 'We're going to build more homes at a faster pace than we've ever seen in the state's history,' Malinauskas declared.
The funding pledge includes:
- $500 million to purchase land for fast-tracked developments
- $500 million to unlock apartment schemes in Adelaide's city centre
- A $70 million commitment to abolish stamp duty for residents aged 60 and older who downsize to smaller new-build homes
The stamp duty abolition provides buyers with a one-time saving of up to $103,830. 'Today ... we have more opportunity than anywhere else in the federation,' Malinauskas proclaimed, recalling past population outflows from the state.
Opposition Criticizes Government Record
Shadow treasurer Ben Hood countered that the incumbent government was campaigning 'under the crushing weight of their grave failings and broken promises.' Hood cited failures to address hospital ramping, what he called Labor's 'failed hydrogen dream,' and affordability issues for first-home buyers.
'The Malinauskas government has proven it is all talk and no action when it comes to the important things: health, affordability and community safety,' Hood asserted.
Liberal Leadership Challenges
The Liberals' Ashton Hurn, who assumed leadership of the beleaguered opposition in December, previously announced a policy to give over-55 downsizers a one-off stamp duty concession of $15,000 during her party's campaign launch. Federal Liberal frontbencher James Paterson acknowledged the upcoming election would be difficult, citing 'dire' polling and the succession of state opposition leaders.
While recognizing Malinauskas's popularity, Paterson praised Hurn for standing up in challenging circumstances. The South Australian state election will be held on March 21, with voters facing what the premier describes as a fundamental choice between political approaches.
