“He was considered to be a model premier, someone who had restored pride in his state, encouraging people to move to Adelaide, a city which is now seen as thriving.”
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Typically modest, Malinauskas said winning the prize is “nice”, but he won’t let it go to his head.
“Politicians and prizes tend not to be a great mix. I’m aware of the work McKinnon does, they are a good organisation, an institution dedicated to improving the professionalism and capacity of political leaders, which, I think, is a good idea in this day and age,” he said.
South Australians are due to deliver their verdict on Malinauskas in a March 2026 state election, but the quietly spoken premier isn’t taking anything for granted. That’s despite a June YouGov poll published in the Adelaide Advertiser showing SA Labor held an incredible 67-33 lead in the two-party preferred vote that, if repeated on election day, would leave the SA Liberal Party with just two seats in the 47-seat lower house.
No one, least of all Malinauskas, expects that result.
Asked if he is confident of beating state opposition leader Vincent Tarzia, Malinauskas insists he is not.
Peter Malinauskas’ pool photo attracted national attention.Credit: Twitter
“The guy I like to quote is [former Intel chief executive] Andy Grove: ‘Success breeds complacency, complacency leads to defeat, only the paranoid survive’. I think that’s true in politics as well as business, having a bit of paranoia helps because in politics things can change very quickly.”
He groans when the frequent rumours that he could switch to federal politics are raised, too.
“We have an election to win, if I have that great privilege, I will be serving a full term.”
And he dismisses suggestions that, much like federal counterpart Anthony Albanese, he has a large majority and is not using it to drive through generational change, reeling off a laundry list of reforms.
“It’s a big agenda, and we want to keep ticking it off.”
The McKinnon Prize selection panel includes former Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson, former deputy prime minister John Anderson, former WA premier Geoff Gallop, former independent MP Cathy McGowan, public policy expert Travers McLeod, Indigenous elder and advocate Lois Peeler and political commentator Peta Credlin and ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas.
It’s just the second state-based award from the McKinnon, NSW Premier Chris Minns and his predecessor Dominic Perrottet having shared the accolade in 2024 for their respectful conduct during the 2023 NSW election campaign.
This article is part of a content partnership between the Herald, The Age and McKinnon, an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit that focuses on the importance of democracy and good government.
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