Mali Triumphant, as One Nation Wave Sweeps SA.
South Australians have delivered Labor its largest ever majority in the State’s history, however a better than expected One Nation surge leaves the Liberals trailing single digits across over 10 seats. | Image Credit: Canva.
Voters in South Australia have once again returned the keys of power to Labor, securing an emphatic victory over the State’s crumbling opposition, while also giving the government a strong mandate to carry on over the next four years.
The 21 March 2026 poll has witnessed Labor massively extend its Lower House numbers from the 29 seats held at the end of the last term to at least 32, with the possibility of expanding to 35 as counting continues. Labor also received a record-breaking two-party-preferred (TPP) vote of 59%, falling just short of the highest-ever TPP vote recorded in the 1993 State election.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was “humbled” by the result, with ABC chief election analyst Casey Briggs describing the election as “an earthquake” that would have implications across the country.
Labor has reinforced its gains across middle-metropolitan Adelaide, while also pinching the once blue-ribbon seats of Unley, Hartley, and Morialta.
Meanwhile, the night was an absolute disaster for the Liberals. The party has been left with only one secure seat in metropolitan Adelaide, being smashed down to likely five or so seats statewide, and even falling into third place in the State’s overall primary vote behind One Nation.
Former Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia lost his seat of Hartley, with deputy Liberal leader Josh Teague also looking likely to lose Heysen to Labor. Jack Batty has retained the seat of Bragg, making him the only metropolitan Adelaide Liberal left standing.
One Nation outperformed polling expectations, translating voter disillusionment with both Labor and the Liberals into votes. The party finished second in the primary count with around 21% of the vote, its strongest result in any Australian state in nearly 30 years
“It’s been the privilege of my life outside of having such a beautiful family and I’m just looking forward to be able to continue the work going, keeping the momentum of South Australia.”
Hospital Ramping, Charges and a ‘Poisoned Chalice’
Liberal leaders Steven Marshall, David Speirs and Vincent Tarzia who each navigated complex political challenges during their time in charge | Image Credit: Canva.
In March 2022, Labor made a shock political comeback, defeating yet another first-term Liberal government on an extraordinary promise to "fix" hospital ramping and make South Australia the nation's premier destination to live, work, and invest.
While the government largely delivered on the latter, overseeing the creation of the AFL Gather Round, the return of the Adelaide 500, and transforming the State into one of the fastest-growing economies in the country, it arguably failed on the former.
In its 2022 ‘For the Future’ policy documents, Labor declared it "will fix the ramping crisis," a definitive pledge it has since likely regretted. Hospital ramping in South Australia has increased significantly since that election, rising from approximately 2,700 hours per month to over 3,600 hours by early 2026. Total ambulance ramping time exceeded 160,000 hours in the three years following the 2022 election.
Despite sustained public pressure, voters appeared forgiving; polling in May 2025 placed Labor as high as 67% on a two-party-preferred basis. Conversely, while the Liberals attempted to keep the political heat on the government, they frequently found themselves in the cooker.
In the space of four years, the Liberal Party was engulfed by internal turmoil between its moderate and conservative wings, suffered back-to-back by-election losses to Labor in the seats of Dunstan and Black, and churned through four different leaders.
Matters were made particularly worse when pictures published by The Advertiser appeared to show former Liberal leader David Speirs and a ‘white substance’, an incident followed by him later being found guilty of two drug supply charges in April 2025.
Mr Speirs has acknowledged he had made mistakes, and ran in the State election as a community independent in Black to give back to the community, including promises regarding mens health and returning his salary back to the electorate. He has failed to win back his seat.
When asked by Liberal MLC Michelle Lensink on the 9News election coverage panel whether he should apologise to his colleagues, Mr Speirs acknowledged that "drama" in his life had influenced the result, but argued that parties of the centre-right were failing to engage voters on central issues like the cost of living.
“I have apologised along the journey, and I will continue to get alongside my colleagues who have supported me along the way,” Mr Speirs said.
Vincent Tarzia, who inherited what was dubbed a ‘poisoned chalice’, took significant steps to reshape the party into a fighting machine against Labor. However, he ultimately resigned from the leadership just months out from the election in December 2025.
Speaking during 7News election night coverage, Mr Tarzia said he had no regrets about his decision. “As leader, obviously I inherited a difficult time in the party, but I’m very proud of what we were able to do,” he said.
Liberal Collapse & One Nation Rise
Both the Liberals and One Nation are now tussling for who can be the State’s dominant right-wing alternative to Labor | Image Credit: Canva.
While attention was drawn to the Liberal blood-letting on the night, One Nation secured its strongest federal or statewide result since the 1998 Queensland election.
Speaking to the energised party faithful at the Kent Town Hotel, firebrand Senator Pauline Hanson was buoyant. “The last time I saw a crowd like this was when we won 11 seats in Queensland in 1998. 1998 — that’s how long ago it was,” she said. “I think the rest of Australia is going to be watching what’s happening here tonight.”
One Nation is yet to officially claim any Lower House seats, but nail-biting contests in Hammond, Mackillop, and Ngadjuri have given both Labor and the Liberals a run for their money. In Hammond, incumbent Liberal Adrian Pederick is fighting to hold off a massive One Nation surge, while in the mid-north seat of Ngadjuri, the primary vote has left the major parties reeling.
Ms Hanson remained adamant that even if the party falls behind the Liberals in terms of raw seat numbers, One Nation would use its massive mandate to hold Labor accountable.
SA One Nation Leader Cory Bernardi has successfully returned to politics, having been elected to the Legislative Council.
“I’d say to Peter Malinauskas…guess what mate? I’m leaving you some landmines, they’re called One Nation members of parliament. I’d suggest don’t step on them because they will explode — and that’s what we’re here for”
Next-generational talent and Liberal leader Ashton Hurn retained her Barossa seat of Schubert. While she suffered an approximate 6% swing against her on primary votes, reflective of the statewide trend, she maintained a dominant two-candidate-preferred margin of over 70%, showcasing her deep personal popularity in the regions.
Despite what was a devastating night for the Liberals, Ms Hurn remained defiant. She argued the result had been anticipated given the party's recent turmoil, but pledged to stay on as leader to fight for "bread and butter" issues. She vowed to hold Labor to account on the cost of living, ramping, and environment, while ensuring regional farmers remain represented.
“We have done a fantastic job across South Australia. I am a proud Liberal. I love this party. I love what we stand for,” she told supporters on election night.
“Not every season goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t rain when you want it too, and sometimes the crop your growing doesn’t produce the goods, but that doesn’t mean you walk off the land, you stay and you fight another day.”
The Liberals are expected to retain ‘Official Opposition’ status in Parliament, a lifeline for the next four years, though significant challenges remain regarding the party’s ideological future.
Conservative senator Alex Antic repeated calls for the Party to lean into its conservative base, arguing the party should “return to the Menzies style of the Liberal Party.”
“This nonsense that by leaning to the left we will capture seats we don’t have, has been proven more times than i’ve had hot dinners,” he said.
In total, over 1.3 million South Australians were enrolled to vote in the 21 March state election, with final turnout figures expected to reflect the significant surge in early and postal voting.