South Australia: the natural home of Labor? (2011-2023)

This chapter covers State politics in South Australia over the period 2011–2013. South Australian politics was dominated by the ALP, and during this period, we consider the records of Premiers Jay Weatherill (Labor 2011–2018), Steven Marshall (Liberal 2018–2022), and Peter Malinauskas (Labor, from 2022). The key issue we consider is why the ALP dominates in South Australia, and why the competent, and generally well-liked Liberal government of Steven Marshall only lasted a single term in office. We outline four key structural factors for the dominance of Labor, including the specific urban demography of the State, long-standing factional troubles for the Liberal Party, the tradition of Independent rural members, and Labor’s ‘issue ownership’. We also consider a range of policy achievements, controversies, and challenges in South Australian politics.