SA election 2026: Count begins with Peter Malinauskas favoured to retain power as One Nation surge reshapes contest
Counting is under way after polls closed in South Australia where Labor is expected to cement its stronghold in the state.
Votes are being counted in South Australia, where the Labor government is poised to govern for another term.
Labor is expected to easily win Saturday’s election but opinion polls show One Nation at 22-28 per cent, outpacing the Liberal vote at 14-20 per cent.
Premier Peter Malinauskas queued for almost an hour at a booth in his electorate of Croydon on Saturday morning, along with wife Annabel and children, Jack, George, Eliza and Sophie.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Malinauskas said he had followed his election day ritual of going for a run before heading to the Woodville Gardens booth with his family.
“It’s the first time I’ve voted with four kids, which brings its own challenges,” he said.
The premier’s four young children waited patiently in the poll queue but were understandably wilting by the time their parents arrived at the ballot box.
They were rewarded soon after with democracy sausages, with their father telling them “team Mali, dad’s got to go and do some work” as he rushed off for an appearance with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Liberal leader Ashton Hurn voted at Angaston Town Hall in her Barossa Valley electorate of Schubert before heading to Adelaide to visit other booths.
One Nation leader Cory Bernardi was among the record 454,862 (34.5 per cent) South Australians who cast ballots at early voting centres up to a week ago.
Adelaide University emeritus professor of politics Clem Macintyre said the rise and rise of One Nation had the potential to create a watershed in Australian politics and the end of two-party politics at federal level.
“If they do make a breakthrough, they’re going to have to work hard to be a more serious and viable alternative government,” he said.
“It’s more frustration with the major parties ? I think we can still say One Nation is a party of disaffected voters.”
Flinders University public policy associate lecturer Josh Sunman said One Nation’s discipline had been the surprise story of the campaign.
He said One Nation had delivered targeted messaging and candidate discipline.
“I was expecting a lot more candidate scandals and meltdowns,” he added.
Hours after he commented, a UK court issued an arrest warrant for One Nation’s Aoi Baxter over a charge of sexually touching a woman without consent, and he was swiftly disendorsed.
