LIV Golf on itinerary plus political foes meet face-to-face on Premier’s US trip
Premier Peter Malinauskas has met the head of LIV Golf in the United States amid continued uncertainty over the event’s future. He also came face-to-face with a former political rival.
Premier Peter Malinauskas is in the United States attending meetings primarily focused on AUKUS and artificial intelligence but has also taken time to meet with the head of the struggling LIV Golf.
On Sunday, the Premier had breakfast with LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil in New York, according to a government spokesperson.
It comes amid uncertainty over the event after its backers, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, pulled funding from the tournament, but there was no further information about what the talks involved.
Premier Malinauskas departed for his nine-day trade investment mission on Wednesday last week and will return this Friday, travelling across the East Coast and to San Francisco.
“I am firmly focussed on advancing the biggest opportunities for South Australia’s long-term prosperity, including maximising the enormous economic potential presented by AUKUS and ensuring investment in artificial intelligence is done on our terms,” Premier Malinauskas said prior to departing.
You might like
“This mission is about putting South Australia’s case directly to key decision-makers across government, defence, technology, finance and industry, and ensuring our state is front of mind as global investment decisions are made.”
In New York, Malinauskas met with former SA Liberal Premier from 2018 until 2022, Steven Marshall, who hosted a lunch with industry leaders after being appointed president of the American Australian Association by its board, starting in the job on January 1 last year.
Marshall – who lost the top job to Malinauskas after Labor won a landslide victory over his Liberal team in the March 2022 South Australian election – also hosted a reception for South Australians and Australians living in New York with the Premier.
“These engagements provided an opportunity for the Premier to promote South Australia’s economic opportunities and strengthen connections with business leaders and Australians living in the United States,” a government spokesperson said.
Stay informed, daily
In New York, Premier Malinauskas also met for his first face-to-face meeting with social psychologist Professor Jon Haidt, whose 2024 book The Anxious Generation was cited as an inspiration for South Australia’s world-leading social media ban.
Premier Malinauskas has also been spruiking the benefits of AUKUS – a defence pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom – in meetings with high-ranking defence leaders and politicians.
This included meetings with Admiral Bill Houston, who is director of the United States’ Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, and Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher, who is director of Submarine Programs.
During the meeting, Houston and Malinauskas swapped the guernseys of their favourite football teams – the Washington Commanders and Port Adelaide Football Club.
He also met with Republican Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, discussing AUKUS among other topics.
While meeting with Blumenthal, the Premier discussed South Australia’s social media ban for children and teens. Blumenthal is the lead sponsor on the Kids Online Safety Act, which seeks to protect minors from online harm.
Premier Malinauskas also met with industry leaders and politicians to discuss artificial intelligence, including Virginia Democratic representatives James Walkinshaw and Suhas Subramanyam.
He also travelled through “Data Centre Alley” in Virginia, visited data centre developer and operator STACK Infrastructure, and held a roundtable with data centre industry leaders in Washington.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
