Labor landslide sees Mali back in power as Libs crushed
Labor has won the State Election – the party and One Nation crushing the Liberal Party and challenging the traditional two-party vote into the future. Ashton Hurn vowing to fight the result over the next four years.
Peter Malinauskas and his team have won the state election with results to date showing an expected whitewash of the Liberal Party – it now looks to be clinging to only one metropolitan seat.
“I’m truly humbled it’s honestly the privilege of my life outside my family,” Malinauskas said as he arrived at the Labor celebration at Memorial Drive.
He told a revved up crowd of supporters “I feel it’s entirely appropriate to pay my respects to the longest living culture that history has ever known” and that he was overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I received a couple of phone calls and I do want to take this opportunity to first and foremost pass on my thanks to Ashton Hurn for the gracious way she conceded defeat,” he said.
Last night it was looking likely that Labor would win 30 lower house seats, the Liberal Party four and other seats were in doubt.
Malinauskas said he also received a call from One Nation’s Cory Bernardi who also deserved recognition for his party receiving a “significant result at the ballot box that deserves recognition and credit”.
In particular he wanted to thank “my beautiful, ever patient family and the most incredible woman I know… my beautiful wife, the love of my life Annabel Margaret Malinauskas,” he said.
“To my colleagues, although this is a historic results, although this is the best result our party has ever achieved … we should see it as an invitation to work our guts out for the next four years,” he said.
And Malinauskas delivered a clear message by citing a poem from Henry Lawson that included “’tis the duty of Australians in the bush and in the town to forever praise their country but to run no other down”, saying he looked “forward to the temperature coming down a little bit” and that “when we work together diversity has always been our greatest strength”.
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Liberal leader Ashton Hurn addressed a party at Morphettville Racecourse saying “it’s a tough night for the Liberals” but that like living on a farm, not “every season goes your way” but you stay.
“There is still hope for the Liberal future here in South Australia. I am a proud Liberal, I love this party, I love what we stand for… there is still so much to fight for.”
Former Liberal Leader Vincent Tarzia lost his seat of Hartley to Labor with Hurn saying “he has gone down fighting” but Liberal Sam Telfer – who was at risk of losing Flinders to One Nation – has held onto the seat he first won in 2022.
She “sincerely congratulated” Malinauskas but committed to leading the party for the next four years saying “we ultimately believe we have the best vision for the people of South Australia and while the voters didn’t give us the nod this time” the party would look forward with “a true sense of optimism”.
Deputy Premier Kyam Maher said he was “so excited. Some of the retirements we’ve seen will have new people in. It looks like there are some seats that are going to change hands.
“Now there are people that I spent a lot of time with over the last few months that I am so excited to hopefully have as part of the Labor team.”
Federal One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has arrived at her party’s celebration in Kent Town, swamped by supporters but has not yet spoken about the results so far.
A surge in the One Nation vote has smashed the Liberal party, Liberal Tim Whetstone was looking likely to lose the formerly safe seat of Chaffey to One Nation candidate Jenn Troeth.
The results destroying the traditional two-party vote likely to have national repercussions.
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Former Liberal Leader Vincent Tarzia was set to lose his seat of Hartley to Labor’s Jenn Roberts and Labor has won the seat of Unley for the first time in 32 years, with Alice Rolls claiming the job.
MacKillop independent Nick McBride, who campaigned wearing an ankle bracelet after being charged for assaulting his wife, a charge he denies, looked likely to lose his seat with the One Nation vote rising but the winning candidate not yet clear.
Labor sitting member Erin Thompson retained Davenport as the seat’s formerly traditional Liberal vote continued to slide.
The Liberal Party’s hope in Waite, Frank Pangallo was unlikely to win the seat with Catherine Hutchisson holding the lead last night.
While former Liberal Leader David Speirs’ bid to reclaim Black was dashed, Labor’s Alex Dighton looking set to retain the once strong Liberal seat.
At this stage, Bragg looks likely to be the only metropolitan seat held by the Liberal Party with Jack Batty.
Liberal shadow treasurer MLC Ben Hood responded to the rise in the One Nation vote saying “people have been talking about this for a long time and I think we’re now starting to see it reflected”.
“But it’s not just happening in regional states, we’re also seeing it in the north, we’re also seeing it in the south. And again, it is not just reflected in the Liberal vote but in the Labor vote as well, which I think shows that there are a great many people, who feel disaffected, not just from centre right parties, but also the centre left as well.”
New talent Aria Bolkus – daughter of federal senator Nick Bolkus – was set to win the coastal seat of Colton, which had been held by retiring Liberal MP Matt Cowdrey since 2018.
“It’s been a long campaign,” Bolkus said, adding that “she had been incredibly lucky to have the support of Mark (Butler)” who is the federal health minister.
“I would have loved him to be here,” she said about her father who died on Christmas Day last year.
Succeeding Andrea Michaels in the safe Labor seat of Enfield, Malinauskas’ former economic advisor Lawrence Ben, who is also the son-in-law of Federal Senator and Trade Minister Don Farrell, was looking to win.
While Cheyne Rich – who was Malinauskas’ deputy chief of staff since 2022 – is ahead in Susan Close’s safe Labor seat of Port Adelaide.
The SA Liberals were gathered at Morphettville Race Course waiting for Hurn.
Polling had not been favourable for the SA Liberals, which consistently showed the party facing an election wipe-out. Latest DemosAU polling published exclusively by InDaily, showed the Liberals winning 17 per cent of lower house votes compared to Labor’s 37 per cent and One Nation’s 23 per cent. In the upper house, the polling showed the Liberals were set to gain just one seat, with the party relying on preferences for a second.
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