South Australia January to June 2019

As 2019 dawned, the Marshall Liberal government had been in office in South Australia for just over nine months. Prior to its election, the state had been in Labor hands for sixteen successive years. When a generation of politicians habituated to being in opposition (only one of the incoming Ministers having had any previous Cabinet experience) finds itself in government, it can take time for the new regime to define itself. The first six months of 2019 marked a period when the Marshall Liberal government was able more clearly to establish its own character and future ambitions, independent of its inheritance and less shackled by inexperience. Post‐election reviews established to advise on critical policy areas, most crucially the health system, advanced to the point where new directions could be signalled. Its second budget set down more distinctive expenditure and revenue programs. By the end of the period, both government and opposition seemed to have settled in for the long haul towards the next election, its due date of March 2022 still a considerable distance over the political horizon.