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Premier Malinauskas appears poised to retain his leadership in South Australia after a confident first term, dispelling critics who suggested that Labor’s inability to resolve the state’s ambulance ramping crisis might impact their electoral success.
Projections indicate that the Labor Party is on track to secure a historic 33 seats across the state, surpassing the 27 seats achieved in the previous election under Malinauskas’s leadership.
STATE OF PLAY: 24 SEATS NEEDED FOR VICTORY
Labor 35 | Liberals 5 | One Nation 2 | Others 2 | Five seats yet to be decided
However, one of the most notable outcomes of the election was the surge in support for One Nation, which gained significant traction in various electorates across the state.
One Nation experienced early voter swings of up to 20 percent in areas ranging from Mount Gambier to Adelaide and is projected to secure two seats as a result.
Pauline Hanson addressed a sea of orange supporters alongside SA One Nation leader Cory Bernardi at SA party headquarters as voting continued into the night.
“The last time I saw a crowd like this was when we won 11 seats in Queensland in 1998,” Hanson said.
“It’s the start of a new beginning for the people South Australia, for the people of Australia.”
Hanson congratulated Malinauskas on his victory, but warned she’s leaving “some landmines” behind in South Australia as she heads back to Canberra.
“I’m leaving you some landmines; they’re called One Nation members of parliament,” Hanson said.
“So I suggest you don’t step on them because they will explode.”
Hanson has made clear her intention to spread the party’s cause across the country, after both SA major parties bled votes to the conservative minor party.
So much so that political experts are tipping One Nation’s powerful performance will send “seismic shockwaves” through Victoria ahead of its own state election in November.
“It would be a lightning bolt to Victoria, particularly for Labor who have relied on some of those regional seats and outer suburban seats,” 9News political editor Charles Croucher said.
“The overriding emotion for One Nation voters is anger, they have been left behind.
”That is so much more prevalent in Victoria than it is in South Australia.”
Croucher said he “would not be shocked” if the embattled Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was bumped from the top job within the next week.
The Liberal Party is projected to hang on to just a handful of seats and has lost former leader Vincent Tarzia, who was ousted from his electorate of Hartley.
The Liberal Party should emerge victorious in the seats of Ngadjuri, Bragg, Chaffey, Flinders and Hurn’s electorate of Schubert.
But the Liberal Party looks poised to hold onto its opposition title, with One Nation looking to picking up just a couple of seats.
‘Turn the temperature down’
Malinauskas called on South Australians to “turn the temperature down” following ” a hot summer” during his victory speech,
He also credited his party’s “discipline and unity” throughout the campaign and gave a subtle nod to One Nation’s anti-immigration policies.
“It’s been a hot summer in Australia, so maybe we should all look forward to the temperature coming down just a little bit so that when we sing the national anthem with pride we don’t forget there is a second verse,” Malinauskas said.
“Which reminds us, when we all combine we can achieve anything when we work together, diversity has always been our greatest strength.
“There is no way that this state comes to its full potential unless we work together.
“Regardless of where they lived, regardless of where they come form, regardless of the circumstances they’ve endured, regardless of their background, just as long as they call South Australia home.”
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