{"id":554991,"date":"2026-03-21T13:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/554991\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T13:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:18:13","slug":"malinauskas-on-the-cusp-of-victory-as-one-nation-hit-by-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/554991\/","title":{"rendered":"Malinauskas on the cusp of victory as One Nation hit by scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rob<\/p>\n

Updated March 22, 2026 \u2014 12:16am,first published 6:30pm<\/p>\n

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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\u2019 vote.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s authority despite a modest primary vote swing against the government. The Liberals were reduced to a handful of seats, while One Nation\u2019s vote surged across regional and working-class areas, securing the seat of Hammond and boosting its upper house presence.<\/p>\n

\"SASA Premier Peter Malinauskas voting with his family at Woodville Gardens School in Adelaide on Saturday..AAP<\/p>\n

In a victory speech that leaned as much on tone as triumph, Malinauskas reached beyond his base, invoking the bush ethos of Henry Lawson\u2019s poem The Duty of Australians to frame his appeal for unity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we all combine, we can achieve anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we work together, diversity has always been our greatest strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result delivers Labor one of its strongest mandates in the state\u2019s history, even as it underscores a shifting political landscape. Labor\u2019s primary vote settled around 38 per cent, ahead of One Nation on about 21 per cent and the Liberals languishing near 19 per cent \u2014 a dramatic collapse of 16 per cent from four years ago.<\/p>\n

Malinauskas, careful to temper the scale of the win, warned colleagues against complacency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough this is a historic result, although it is the best result our party has ever achieved, it\u2019s very important that no one confuses tonight\u2019s result as adulation,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, we should see it as only being an invitation to continue to work our guts out for the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The premier confirmed he had received concession calls from Liberal leader Ashton Hurn and One Nation\u2019s Cory Bernardi, signalling a willingness to work across an increasingly fractured parliament.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Opposition<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The scale of the Liberal defeat was quickly apparent. Hurn conceded before 9.30pm, describing the outcome as \u201ca tough night\u201d and acknowledging the need for deep reflection. The party\u2019s vote collapsed in suburban Adelaide and across key regional centres, squeezed by Labor on one side and One Nation on the other.<\/p>\n

The party\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Former leader Vincent Tarzia was among the casualties, losing Hartley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely no doubt about it, that things are tough,\u201d Hurn said. \u201cAnd lessons must be learnt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe voters never get it wrong. It\u2019s up to us to heed their advice. Now is the time to come together as a party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PaulinePauline Hanson said One Nation\u2019s strong performance in the South Australia election was just the beginning. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s state leader Bernardi secured an upper house seatfor himself and declared an \u201cearthquake\u201d had rattled the major parties.<\/p>\n

Hanson said she felt \u201cvindicated\u201d, pointing to the result as part of a broader national shift. \u201cI think the rest of Australia is going to be watching what\u2019s happening here tonight,\u201d she said, linking the outcome to looming contests including the Farrer byelection and November\u2019s Victorian poll.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"One<\/a><\/p>\n

She later added the surge was \u201cjust the start\u201d, describing an \u201cundercurrent\u201d of voters turning away from the political mainstream.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a protest vote \u2026 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\u2019ve had a gutful, we want our country back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The election result reinforces Labor\u2019s dominance \u2014 the party has now won five of the past six state elections \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"RobRob Harris<\/a> is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated March 22, 2026 \u2014 12:16am,first published 6:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554992,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-554991","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}