Peter Malinauskas


Peter Bryden Malinauskas is an Australian politician and trade unionist who has served as the 47th premier of South Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the South Australian Labor Party and a member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the district of Croydon since 2018, having previously served in the South Australian Legislative Council from 2015 until his transfer in 2018.
Malinauskas was born in Adelaide to parents of Hungarian and Lithuanian descent. He attended Mercedes College, and studied commerce at the University of Adelaide. In 2008, he was appointed as the Secretary of the South Australian/Northern Territory branch of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, serving until 2015. Malinauskas was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the Legislative Council on 1 December 2015, following the parliamentary resignation of Bernard Finnigan. During the Weatherill government, Malinauskas was the Minister for Health and the Minister for Police, Emergency and Correctional Services. At the 2018 state election, Malinauskas contested and won the safe Labor seat of Croydon after the retirement of former member Michael Atkinson. His party, led by Jay Weatherill, was defeated at the election, ending 16 years in government. After Weatherill's resignation, Malinauskas was elected leader of the party with Susan Close as his Deputy. After just a single term in opposition, Malinauskas led his party to a landslide victory at the 2022 state election.
As a member of the Labor Right faction, the dominant faction within the South Australian branch of the Labor Party, his political views have been described as centrist, while he has described his personal views as socially conservative. In 2011, when asked about progressive political issues, Malinauskas stated that he didn't involve himself with the Australian labour movement for those issues, stating that he believes in equal opportunity and the fair go, rather than trying to impose equality. During his premiership, Malinauskas supported the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Federal Parliament, and implemented a state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament.
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Early life and education

Malinauskas was born in South Australia to Kathryn and Peter Malinauskas Jr. on 14 August 1980. Malinauskas's paternal Hungarian grandmother Eta survived World War II and escaped the post-war communist Hungarian state when she emigrated to Bathurst in New South Wales. She married Peter Malinauskas Sr., a Lithuanian refugee, and the couple moved to Adelaide, later opening a fish and chip shop. Malinauskas's mother's ancestors were middle-class Irish.
In his school years, Malinauskas's family resided in Colonel Light Gardens. Being from a Catholic family, Malinauskas was sent to Mercedes College where he displayed leadership potential in Australian rules football and cricket, as well as excelling in his studies. He was a member of the student representative council and was school captain in year 12. Mercedes College principal Peter Daw recalled Malinauskas as being "a future leader". Additionally, Daw recalled Malinauskas as being "one of those kids involved in lots of things" and a "popular lad" with a "magnetic personality that appealed to teachers and students alike".

Union figure

Malinauskas worked for Woolworths for seven years from 1995 at age 15, first as a trolley boy and later a checkout operator and night filler. He formed an early and enduring political relationship with Don Farrell through Woolworths workers' unionism. During his time at Woolworths, Malinauskas obtained a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Adelaide. He became an influential union official who served from 2008 to 2015 as Secretary of the South Australian/Northern Territory branch of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, the major player in the dominant Labor Right faction of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party. In August 2011, some media outlets claimed Malinauskas was the sole "faceless man" who informed Mike Rann he had lost the support of his party and to step down as premier of South Australia in favour of Jay Weatherill. Malinauskas was elected in July 2015 to Labor's [Australian Australian Labor Party|Labor Party National Executive|National Executive] at the party's National Conference.

Political views

Malinauskas is a member of the Labor Right faction. His views have been described as centrist.
Asked about progressive political issues in 2011 such as same sex marriage, stem-cell research, euthanasia and abortion, Malinauskas said his personal views would be "considered socially conservative" and went on to state "I didn't get involved in the Australian labour movement because of any of these issues. I believe in the fair go but I get frustrated with left-wing ideology that focuses more on imposing equality than providing for equality of opportunity. This is why I'm passionate about Australian education − universal access to quality schooling gives everyone the chance to succeed".
Asked about nuclear power in South Australia, Malinauskas in 2014 said he was pro-nuclear despite Labor at the time remaining opposed to the establishment of a new nuclear waste repository or nuclear power plant in South Australia. Malinauskas stated "I believe climate change is a real challenge we need to face up to, and nuclear energy can be a safe source of baseload power, with zero carbon emissions" and "we should have a mature debate based on science and economics to determine if a nuclear industry is viable in South Australia". In March 2015 Labor initiated a Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission, and in 2016 launched a "Get to know nuclear" campaign to further explore the commission's findings. In October 2016 at the South Australian Labor party conference, Malinauskas spoke of the protesters who had gathered outside in opposition to the establishment of new nuclear waste storage facilities. He told delegates: "The difference between us and them, of course, is that we take very seriously our obligation to make sure that our ideology is underpinned by evidence."

Parliamentary career

Following the parliamentary resignation of Bernard Finnigan on 12 November 2015, Malinauskas filled the Legislative Council casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia on 1 December.
Premier Jay Weatherill indicated that Malinauskas could enter the Cabinet of South Australia in an early 2016 ministerial reshuffle, with reports of media speculation and internal party talk suggesting Malinauskas could potentially become the next Labor premier of South Australia, entering the House of Assembly through preselection as the next Labor candidate in Labor's safest lower house seat of Croydon with claims that incumbent Michael Atkinson "has long been willing to vacate his seat to Malinauskas if he ever wanted it". Atkinson announced in February 2017 that he would be retiring from parliament as of the 2018 election. Malinauskas confirmed he would be nominating for preselection.
Malinauskas served in the Cabinet of South Australia in the Weatherill Ministry between January 2016 and March 2018, holding, at various times, ministerial portfolios with responsibility for police, correctional services, emergency services, road safety, health, and mental health and substance abuse.
Malinauskas won the seat of Croydon at the 2018 election.

Leader of the Opposition (2018–2022)

Following the resignation of Jay Weatherill after the 2018 election, a caucus meeting on 9 April 2018 elected Malinauskas as Labor Leader. He consequently became Leader of the Opposition, with former Education Minister Susan Close as his deputy.
In April 2021, former Labor MP Annabel Digance and her husband were arrested and charged with attempting to blackmail Malinauskas. Police alleged that the couple had threatened to make accusations against Malinauskas if he did not orchestrate Digance's return to politics by preselection for a safe seat or appointment to the Legislative Council or the Senate. The charges against the Digances were withdrawn in April 2023.

Premier of South Australia (2022–present)

In March 2022, Malinauskas led the party to victory at the state election, party after making healthcare a theme during the election. He was sworn in as premier of South Australia on 21 March 2022.
In May 2022, the government ended South Australia's state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia, after 793 consecutive days.
Soon after the election, Malinauskas pledged to implement a state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament, as well as restarting treaty talks and greater investment in areas affecting Aboriginal South Australians. In July 2022 Dale Agius was appointed as the state's first Commissioner for First Nations Voice, with the role commencing in August. The South Australian state-based Voice was delayed until 2024, because of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. Elections took place on 16 March 2024, with Maher describing it as a successful election despite the low turnout, saying that it would take time to build awareness and engagement.
In April 2024, after a public outcry following the announcement that a developer was going to gut the historic Crown & Anchor pub, famed for its live music, and build high-rise student housing above its facade, Malinauskas intervened, placing the building under provisional state heritage-listing to protect it until its heritage values could be fully assessed, a decision supported by opposition leader David Speirs.
Also in April 2024, Malinauskas intervened to launch a review panel to examine a plan to restructure the South Australian Museum, which had included cutting out 27 research positions. He said that both the previous government and his government had made cuts to the museum's budget.
The Malinauskas government introduced a range of initiatives, including educational reforms. One of these is introducing compulsory civics subject into the school curriculum. It has also introduced a number of 24/7 pharmacies, and continued efforts to reduce ambulance ramping through investments in increased bed capacity and building ambulance stations.
On 8 September 2024, the Malinauskas government proposed a new law, in the Children Bill 2024, to ban children under 14 from accessing social media, and to require parental consent for children aged 14 and 15. The bill followed a review by the former Chief Justice of the High Court, Robert French. Shortly afterwards, Malinauskas supported the federal Labor government's age verification system for social media use.
On 27 November 2024, the Electoral Amendment Act 2024 was passed. The Act bans political donations and imposes mandatory expenditure caps on parties, candidates, and third parties. It is the first such law reform in the world.
In 2026, Malinauskas called upon the Adelaide Writers' Week to ban Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah for her pro-Palestinian comments, culminating in the Adelaide Writers' Week boycott.

Personal life

Malinauskas is Catholic and married to Annabel West, a lawyer based in Adelaide. The couple has two daughters and two sons.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Malinauskas was listed among 121 Australians banned from entering Russia. He later said that he was "grateful" to be included on the list.
Malinauskas formerly played Australian rules football for the Adelaide University Football Club. He retired at the end of the 2023 Adelaide Footy League season.