Malinauskas on the cusp of victory as One Nation hit by scandal

Labor has recorded a commanding election victory in South Australia in the face of a significant One Nation surge eating into the incumbent government’s primary vote, with the Liberals also to be relegated to just a handful of seats.

Premier Peter Malinauskas secured a second term in a thumping win after just two hours of counting on Saturday evening, buoyed by strong polling and a fragmented opposition. The party has now won five of the past six state elections and governed for 20 of the past 24 years.

Labor suffered a swing of nearly 3 per cent on primary votes, with around 38 per cent, while One Nation spiked to a nearly 21 per cent. The Liberals were languishing at around 18 per cent at 10.30pm AEST.

Malinauskas said he was “overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude” to be able to continue to serve and deliver results for the state.

“Although this is a historic result, although it is the best result our party has ever achieved, it’s very important that no one confuses tonight’s result as adulation,” he said, in a pointed message to his colleagues. “Instead, we should see it as only being an invitation to continue to work our guts out for the next four years.”

Malinauskas confirmed he had received concession calls from both Liberal leader Ashton Hurn and One Nation’s Cory Bernardi.

“Cory Bernardi and One Nation also deserve recognition, not just for the way they contacted me this evening, but also for getting a very significant result at the ballot box,” he said.

“I 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.”

Queensland senator Pauline Hanson’s right-wing populist party destroyed much of the Liberals’ traditional vote in regional areas, with strong support for One Nation also recorded in working-class areas of Labor’s heartland, in a national threat to the major parties from the rise of grievance politics.

Estimates were that Labor would hold around 34 of the 47 lower house seats, with the Liberals between five and six, a handful of independents and at least one for One Nation – Hammond – a rural electorate south-east of Adelaide. The party is expected to win two in the upper house, including state leader Cory Bernardi who said an “earthquake had rattled” the major parties.

Complex preference flows are expected to ensure counts in several tight seats will last for several days, with more than 35 per cent of South Australians also casting their vote in the days prior to the election.

Hanson said the strong swings to her party was “just the start”, declaring her party would use the result as a springboard for the Farrer by-election and November’s state election in Victoria.

“It’s not just a protest vote … 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’ve had a gutful, we want our country back,” she told reporters.

“I think in a lot of ways I feel vindicated for my being in this game for 30 years to give people back their voice. I’m excited, but I’m sort of holding my cards close to my chest in a lot of ways because I’ve been in this position before, and it all falls apart because of preferences and the rest of it.”

Labor – which held 29 of 47 seats in the state’s lower house going into the election – polled strongly throughout suburban Adelaide, winning a handful of seats off the Liberals. Thirty-three of the state’s seats are in the metropolitan area.

The Liberals, led by Ashton Hurn, struggled to cut through in regional centres, where the party grappled with a collapsing primary vote and competition from One Nation for conservative support.

The party’s 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.

It endured several scandals during the past four years , including a cocaine scandal surrounding former leader David Speirs, who quit parliament after a leaked video was published by The Advertiser showing him snorting white powder off a plate. Speirs pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying drugs last year.

“There are many lessons. There are a lot of things we must reflect on,” Hurn said.

“We need to dig in on what we’ve been talking about for the 100 days of my leadership. It’s those bread and butter issues, getting back to basics. We’ll keep fighting.

“The voters never get it wrong. It’s up to us to heed their advice. Now is the time to come together as a party. It’s been a pleasure to be your leader during this campaign.”

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.