2026 SA Election Voting Guide
South Australians will vote 21 March to elect the next government of South Australia. Follow our policy guide to see what each of the four major parties are promising you | Image Credit: Canva.
After four years under the leadership of Premier Peter Malinauskas, Labor is looking to lock in a second term in government.
They face a challenge from Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn and the Liberals, who are fighting to claw back power while avoiding electoral oblivion.
If current polling holds, Labor is on track for a comfortable win, while the Liberals face an uphill battle to maintain their footprint in the House of Assembly.
But in politics, nothing is certain until the final ballot is counted.
We’ve broken down the key policies from every major and minor party. from housing. health, and the environment, you can see exactly what’s on the table for you.
SA Labor
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SA Labor 〰️
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Invest $13.9 million to expand the Mental Health Co-Responder Program, pairing mental health clinicians directly with frontline police to improve emergency crisis responses and reduce hospital presentations.
Allocate $1.5 million over four years to expand Taryn Brumfitt's Embrace Collective programs in schools and communities to promote youth mental wellbeing.
Commit an additional $6 million specifically to address homelessness in the Adelaide CBD, with funding shared across Catherine House, Hutt Street Centre, and St Vincent de Paul.
Dedicate $7 million to support and expand the Domestic Violence Crisis Accommodation Program.
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Launch a massive $1 billion plan to supercharge housing supply, including a $500 million fund to purchase strategic land (like the Hampstead and Warradale barracks) for rapid residential development.
Dedicate the other $500 million to guarantee up to 50% of eligible off-the-plan CBD apartment developments (capped at $30 million per project) to incentivise shovel-ready construction.
Completely abolish stamp duty for seniors over 60 who are downsizing to newly-built homes or off-the-plan apartments valued up to $2 million, saving them up to $103,830.
Implement a portable rental bond scheme to make moving easier and significantly reduce upfront financial stress for tenants.
Create a direct pathway for eligible long-term renters to purchase one of 100 homes currently under construction by the SA Housing Trust.
Build 200 new supported accommodation places and heavily renovate 300 run-down public housing properties to bring them back online.
Mandate that landlords can only increase rent once every 12 months, and strictly cap routine property inspections to a maximum of four per year.
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Triple state funding for real-time fuel pricing compliance to actively crack down on fuel price gouging and ease the daily cost of living for drivers.
Broaden the eligibility and access to the Seniors Card to provide greater cost-of-living concessions to older South Australians.
Increase the state's skilled migration intake by 2,000 workers a year to address critical labor shortages and build a high-wage economy around major defense and infrastructure projects.
Expand the HomeStart scheme to make it easier for first-home buyers to enter the market by raising the income eligibility threshold to $110,000.
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Fund dedicated crisis accommodation programs for victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence to ensure they have safe pathways out of dangerous environments.
Integrate mental health clinicians with police patrols to safely de-escalate crisis situations without relying purely on punitive force.
Legislate strict new termination requirements so landlords must have prescribed, legal grounds to evict tenants, and increase the notice period for ending a fixed-term tenancy from 28 to 60 days.
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Roll out a fleet of 18 community batteries across the state in partnership with AGL to deliver one of the cheapest residential electricity rates to over 10,000 households.
Refuse to ban new residential gas connections or mandate the electrification of homes, ensuring consumers maintain the choice to use gas appliances without being forced into expensive upgrades.
Enforce strict National Construction Code requirements mandating that all newly constructed homes in South Australia meet a minimum 7-star energy efficiency rating.
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Invest $3.5 million to launch an Australian-first trial of battery-powered trains on the Adelaide public transport network to modernize the fleet.
Develop a strategic 'pattern book' for employment and industrial land in Adelaide's north to rapidly fast-track construction and economic infrastructure.
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Completely abolish public school fees across the state to provide massive, immediate financial relief to families with school-aged children.
Invest $19 million in a Career Education and Pathways Strategy to introduce hands-on vocational education and trade exposure to nearly 50 primary schools.
Invest $70 million to construct a brand-new school and preschool in Adelaide’s rapidly growing northern suburbs.
Deliver $40 million in targeted capital upgrades to school infrastructure across South Australia.
Open up the state's $171 million universal three-year-old preschool loan scheme to non-profit early childhood education providers and private schools.
Secure and fund a "landmark" opera production to boost the state's cultural calendar and attract major tourism.
For more information, visit the Labor website.
SA Liberal
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SA Liberal 〰️
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Completely scrap payroll tax for contractor GPs to stop the "tax grab" that is currently adding $5 to $20 in out-of-pocket costs to patient consults.
Deliver a $173 million health and workforce package to urgently recruit and train frontline medical staff and address hospital ramping.
Protect the old Women's and Children's Hospital site from being sold off to private developers, guaranteeing it remains a dedicated health precinct.
Establish five new Transition Care Centres across the state to move patients who no longer need acute care out of hospitals, freeing up emergency beds.
Commit state funding to construct a brand-new hospital in the Barossa region.
Launch a state-wide free flu vaccination blitz to protect vulnerable populations and keep people out of emergency rooms during winter.
Overhaul and improve PATS to make it easier and more affordable for regional South Australians to travel for specialist medical treatment.
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Completely abolish stamp duty for first-home buyers purchasing established homes up to the value of $1 million.
Offer a one-off $15,000 stamp duty discount for downsizers purchasing any property up to $1.2 million to free up large family homes for younger buyers.
Implement strict planning protections to stop rampant overdevelopment and urban infill from destroying the character of existing suburbs.
Streamline land release and building approvals to rapidly increase the supply of new housing across the state.
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Raise the state payroll tax threshold from $1.5 million to $2.1 million to help small and medium businesses grow, hire more staff, and increase wages.
Establish a $2 million State Charges and Tax Reform Commission within 60 days of taking office to review and lower every single state tax, fee, and local council charge.
Scrap the ineffective Premier's Delivery Unit to end government waste.
Drastically reduce the millions of taxpayer dollars currently being spent on external government consultants and PR spin doctors.
Legislate a cap on local council rates to prevent councils from passing massive yearly cost increases onto households and businesses.
Establish a dedicated fund to revitalize local high streets, support small brick-and-mortar retail businesses, and drive foot traffic.
Provide new financial incentives to boost the intake of young apprentices, alongside targeted support for mature-age apprentices wanting to retrain.
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Legislate a strict presumption against bail for any applicant taken into custody for a serious offence who is already out on bail for another serious offence.
Introduce laws within the first 100 days mandating a minimum six-month prison sentence (with no suspended sentences allowed) for anyone who harms an on-duty police officer.
Drive recruitment and fast-track training to significantly increase the visible police presence on South Australian streets.
Introduce targeted diversionary and punitive measures to stop repeat youth offending and gang activity.
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Guarantee the construction of a brand-new natural gas power station to provide cheap, reliable baseload power and stabilise the state's energy grid.
Reintroduce a heavily subsidised Home Battery Scheme to help families store their solar energy and drastically cut their power bills.
Create a specific solar program designed to help renters access cheap renewable energy, ensuring they aren't locked out of the solar boom.
Fund environmental infrastructure and catchment clean-ups to ensure zero litter flows into South Australian oceans.
Invest heavily in sand replenishment and ecological restoration to save South Australia's receding metropolitan and regional beaches.
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Slash regular Adelaide Metro public transport fares to a flat 50 cents to provide immediate, massive cost-of-living relief for commuters and students.
Inject emergency funding to clear the massive backlog of pothole repairs and road maintenance on suburban and regional roads.
Fund bypasses and major infrastructure upgrades to divert heavy freight trucks out of quiet suburban streets and school zones.
Introduce a financial incentive scheme to reward South Australians who maintain a clean driving record.
Overhaul and upgrade regional transport networks to better connect country towns with major economic hubs.
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Deliver a massive $120 million package to fix, upgrade, and modernise infrastructure at public schools, preschools, and childcare centres across the state.
Pass legislation to formally abolish the state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Fund nighttime economy and cultural initiatives to activate Adelaide's CBD after dark and support the hospitality and arts sectors.
Step in to protect the UniSA Magill campus site from being completely bulldozed for high-density housing, preserving its heritage and open space.
For more information, visit the Liberals website.
SA Greens
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SA Greens 〰️
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Establish 50 new free local healthcare clinics across the state, staffed by GPs, dentists, psychologists, and nurses, that are entirely bulk-billed with zero out-of-pocket costs.
Fund an additional 10 subsidised psychologist sessions per year for all South Australians, doubling the current federal limit to 20 sessions at a state cost of $5 million over four years.
Establish a 6-month fixed-site pill testing trial and roll out drug checking services at music festivals to reduce overdose risks through a health-focused, harm-minimisation approach.
Legalise and regulate the production, sale, and use of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes.
Fully subsidise the provision of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to remove the cost barrier for low-income earners and help eliminate HIV transmission in South Australia.
Make emergency ambulance services completely free for pensioners and concession-holders, waiving the standard $1,171 call-out fee and covering approximately 215,000 vulnerable households.
Implement transit wards at major Adelaide hospitals, appoint a state-wide bed manager, and enforce rapid off-load procedures to mandate the transfer of patient care within 30 minutes of arriving at an emergency department.
Increase the funding and expand the remit of Preventative Health SA to focus on keeping people healthier throughout their lives and better supporting patients managing chronic conditions.
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Implement long-term rent controls that cap rent increases strictly in line with CPI and legally restrict landlords from raising the rent more than once every two years.
Mandate that landlords and real estate agents cannot accept any rent offers higher than the advertised price, enforcing this with fines of up to $20,000 for those caught breaking the rules.
Eliminate the 14,000-person public housing waitlist by building 20,000 new public homes over the next four years, and establish a new publicly-owned builder to construct these homes and step in when private construction companies collapse.
Overhaul state planning legislation to require that all new developments of 20 dwellings or more include a strict minimum of 30% affordable and public housing (broken down as 10% affordable to buy, 10% affordable rental, and 10% public/community housing).
Impose a new tax equivalent to 1% of a property's total value on any home left vacant for more than six consecutive months to incentivise investors to put empty homes onto the rental market.
Legislate strict minimum energy efficiency standards for all rentals, mandating that homes must be fitted with functioning heating and cooling, sufficient insulation, and fly screens, while preventing landlords from raising the rent to cover these basic fixtures.
Flip the current rules around renting with pets so the onus is entirely on the landlord to apply to the tribunal (SACAT) for a specific exemption if they want to ban pets from their property.
Establish an independent Commissioner for Rental Tenancies with the legal power to advocate for tenants, investigate bad practices, and financially penalise property investors who break renting laws.
Establish a "community right to buy" scheme where local councils or community groups can nominate culturally valuable buildings (like historic pubs or venues) to an asset register. If the owner tries to sell it to developers, a 12-month moratorium is triggered to give the community time to raise funds and purchase it themselves.
Make building height limits strict and legally binding rather than discretionary, and introduce mandatory climate trigger assessments so developers cannot build projects that excessively pollute or reduce green space.
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Eliminate age-based wage discrimination by completely abolishing youth wages, ensuring young people receive equal pay for equal work.
Legislate strict protections for the right to work from home and legally enforce the "right to disconnect" so employers cannot demand communication outside of paid working hours.
Phase out all poker machines in South Australian pubs and clubs by 2030 to end the state's reliance on harmful gambling revenue.
Establish a $400 million transition fund over four years to financially assist venues in shifting their business models away from gambling and toward live music, events, and hospitality.
Place an immediate moratorium on all new pokies machines, implement a license buy-back scheme, impose a 65% flat tax on all existing gaming machines, and raise the Betting Operations Tax to 30%.
Deliver $13.786 billion in new state revenue over the next four years by ensuring big banks, mining corporations, and property developers pay their fair share of tax to fund public infrastructure.
Introduce expanded workplace protections and rights for firefighters and other essential emergency responders.
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Amend the Young Offenders Act 1993 to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old, keeping children out of adult prisons.
Stop the state's $200 million investment in expanding prisons and instead redirect the $1.12 million it costs per year to jail a young person into community support, housing, and prevention services.
Redirect $30 million over four years from the prison budget into three new community-led justice reinvestment programs (similar to Port Adelaide's Tiraapendi Wodli) to tackle the root causes of crime.
Dedicate $100 million over four years to fund four additional rehabilitation and transitional housing services for people leaving prison to cut the state's 35.8% recidivism rate.
Fully implement all 136 recommendations from the August 2025 Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence to build a system that actively prevents violence and supports victim-survivors.
Legislate to abolish religious exemptions in state equal opportunity laws so that schools, healthcare, and community services cannot legally discriminate against LGBTIQ+ individuals.
Ensure gender affirming healthcare (including surgeries and prescribed hormones) is provided with zero out-of-pocket costs, and fully subsidise PrEP to help eliminate HIV transmission in South Australia.
Introduce a bill to establish a Human Rights Act for South Australia, and amend birth registration laws so same-sex parents can have their status appropriately and equally recognised on their child's birth certificate.
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Legislate a strict target of net-zero emissions by 2035 (based on 2005 levels) and immediately scrap the $100 million in state subsidies currently handed to fossil fuel companies.
Establish a commission of inquiry to bring ETSA (the Electricity Trust of South Australia) back into public hands to stop corporate price gouging and lower household energy bills.
Ban all new gas connections to homes, shops, and small businesses to phase out fossil gas completely, and cancel all new gas and oil exploration permits across the state (including the Otway and Polda basins).
Dedicate $30 million over 10 years to provide no-interest loans for homeowners and landlords to replace gas appliances with energy-efficient electric alternatives, plus $15 million to electrify public and social housing.
Create a Resource Efficiency Fund to provide subsidies for communal household batteries and solar panels for people living in apartments, strata, and rentals, and increase overall REPS energy efficiency funding by $80 million over 4 years.
Ban polluting fossil fuel corporations (such as Santos) from sponsoring government-run events, like the Tour Down Under, to stop them from buying a social license.
Commit $200 million over four years ($50 million annually) to protect marine ecosystems and clean up toxic algae blooms, alongside an extra $4 million a year specifically for marine wildlife rehabilitation.
Strengthen laws to prevent developers from cutting down significant trees near dwellings, double the funding for nature restoration grants, and roll out a massive green space strategy to combat urban heat islands.
Introduce a strict levy on plastic waste, including soft plastics, paid directly by the corporations that manufacture them, rather than passing waste management costs onto everyday ratepayers.
Legislate a basic level of service for water that officially recognises reliable access to clean, affordable drinking water as an essential human right.
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Immediately introduce permanent 50-cent fares across the entire public transport network to drastically cut cost-of-living pressures, saving regular commuters thousands of dollars a year.
Make public transport completely free for all schoolkids, while retaining the existing free fares for seniors and healthcare workers.
Invest $300 million annually to roll out more frequent, reliable, and express bus services across metropolitan Adelaide and into underserviced regional areas.
Secure state and federal co-funding to fully implement the AdeLink project over the next 10 years, significantly extending tram coverage across South Australia.
Invest $100 million over four years to rapidly build out a safe, connected network of dedicated cycling and walking paths.
Mandate that all new major state road projects must include built-in plans and funding for cycle and walking paths to prioritise active transport over car dependency.
Commit $10 million over four years to fully integrate cycling with public transport by building secure bike parking, lockers, and security cameras at all train stations and major bus hubs.
Build two major end-of-journey "cycle hubs" in Adelaide City and Mount Barker, featuring secure bike parking, showers, and lockers for active commuters.
Appoint a dedicated state Walking and Cycling Commissioner to set bold targets for sustainable travel and ensure active transport is prioritised in state planning.
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Roll out a fully funded, permanent free school breakfast and lunch program directly through the Department of Education, backed by an $80 million investment over four years.
Establish a $300 million capital expenditure grants fund so public schools can build or upgrade kitchen spaces, dining areas, and purchase fridges and appliances to facilitate the free meals program.
Triple the state’s funding for emergency food programs, including food banks and food recovery organisations—to $20 million per year to ensure no family goes hungry.
Invest $50 million to employ a dedicated, full-time art and music teacher in every single public school to foster creativity and cultural awareness.
Launch a two-year pilot program to guarantee a living wage for 100 selected artists, musicians, theatre-makers, and writers so they can survive off their craft.
Guarantee that the money budgeted for the Tarrkarri project is fully spent to ensure South Australia finally completes its dedicated Aboriginal art and culture centre.
Double the state's live music fund (reserving at least 25% specifically for regional music) and switch to long-term funding models rather than keeping artists on stressful, short-term grant cycles.
Build a dedicated, fit-for-purpose live music and performance venue in Adelaide to boost local music careers and attract international tours.
For more information, visit the Greens website.
SA One Nation
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SA One Nation 〰️
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Lobby federally to restore 20 subsidised mental health appointments per year to Medicare (reversing the recent cut to 10), and streamline local university qualification pathways to urgently address the critical shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists.
Repurpose existing infrastructure, specifically the old Women’s and Children’s Hospital into dedicated facilities for mental health, disability, and aged care patients to free up emergency room beds and end ambulance ramping.
Offer direct financial support for medical education and training, alongside payroll and land tax discounts, to incentivise young doctors to establish their practices here in South Australia.
Enforce sustainable staff-to-patient ratios to prevent frontline burnout, and significantly boost police presence and security at hospitals to protect healthcare workers from increasing violence.
Remove all remaining COVID-19 vaccination mandates and bureaucratic sanctions within SA Health to allow unvaccinated, qualified healthcare staff to return to the workforce.
Hand healthcare budget and decision-making power directly back to country hospital boards, and invest heavily in specialised telehealth paramedics and technology for remote communities.
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Cap national immigration at 130,000 across all visa categories (including international students) and implement a permanent ban on foreign citizens owning residential property to free up existing housing and rental supply.
Allow individuals to invest their superannuation directly into purchasing their primary residence, with the investment proceeds returning to the super fund when the property is eventually sold.
Allow homeowners to rent out spare rooms in their primary residence completely tax-free to rapidly increase the supply of available rental accommodation.
Redirect Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levies to directly fund apprentice wages, waive prohibitive registration costs for first- and second-year apprentices, and completely exempt apprentice wages from state payroll tax.
Eliminate state government stamp duty on home insurance payments, introduce higher value thresholds for stamp duty concessions, and lobby the federal government to exempt basic building materials from the GST.
Identify and release under-utilised government-owned land for residential development, and amend local council planning laws to radically expedite zoning changes and building approvals.
Allow regional and rural landholders to build an additional dwelling on their existing property title without the need to go through the costly and bureaucratic subdivision process.
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Mandate large discounts on boating registration and licence fees until recreational fishing limits are eased, and guarantee 100% of this revenue is spent solely on local infrastructure like boat ramps and jetties.
Prohibit foreign entities and non-fishers from purchasing commercial fishing licences or quotas, and permanently ban foreign 'factory' vessels from operating in South Australian fisheries.
Fund incentives for local on-shore processing and packaging of South Australian seafood to drive down the state's 60% reliance on overseas imports.
Oppose the creation of any new marine national parks or no-go zones that restrict fishing access, and scrap the October 2025 recreational fishing limits, including the snapper ban in favour of independent stock assessments.
Advocate at the federal level to halve the fuel excise for at least 12 months to drastically reduce day-to-day operating costs for commercial fleets and recreational fishers.
Fast-track the High Productivity Vehicle Network (HPVN) and Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass (GAFB) projects, while exploring measures to revive regional rail services to ease the estimated $400 million maintenance backlog on regional road networks.
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Establish an open, transparent panel of community members and legal experts where magistrates must publicly justify their decisions if a repeat offender commits another crime while out on bail
Mandate that repeat offenders make financial restitution to victims. If the offender is a minor and parental neglect is deemed a factor, parents will also be required to pay restitution.
Integrate proven intervention programs (like Operation Flinders) into the justice system for at-risk young people, alongside a commitment to increase youth detention capacity to keep serious repeat offenders off the streets.
Establish an independent statutory commission to oversee the Department of Child Protection, investigate systemic failures, and strengthen legal protections for whistleblowers.
Conduct a spending review to redirect funding away from expensive residential care facilities, investing instead in early intervention, intensive family support, and a legislative charter of enforceable rights for foster and kinship carers.
Oppose any further state firearm restrictions, remove ownership caps on specific categories (like air rifles), and properly resource SAPOL to reduce current 18-month licence processing delays.
Facilitate the lawful participation of minors under the age of 16 in supervised competition and recreational shooting.
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Construct a new 500MW black coal ultra-supercritical power plant at Port Augusta (costing an estimated $1.5 billion) aimed at lowering wholesale electricity prices and increasing grid reliability.
Advocate to repeal the Federal ban on nuclear energy and explore introducing modern nuclear technology, such as modular reactors, to South Australia to utilize the state's massive uranium deposits.
Prohibit new wind and solar installations on the South Australian coast, prime agricultural land, native forests, and areas with high bushfire risk.
Push to amend National Electricity Market (NEM) rules to end taxpayer subsidies for renewable energy, requiring all power generation sources to compete on their true market value.
Mandate that all energy projects include an environmental rehabilitation bond to ensure infrastructure is properly cleaned up when it reaches the end of its useful life.
Partner with the local forestry industry to plant more than 40 million trees over the next decade to secure long-term local timber supplies.
Commit $2 million over three years to fund modern fire detection networks and support the construction of "fire dams" in key locations to supply firefighting aircraft.
Guarantee no further cuts to Forest Water Licences to protect plantations, and mandate the use of locally-sourced timber in state government construction projects.
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Please see other policies for further information.
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Introduce a bill to abolish the SA First Nations Voice to Parliament, citing the 64.17% state 'No' vote in the 2023 federal referendum, Voice election voter turnouts of less than 10%, and the $4 million cost to taxpayers.
Return to a "back-to-basics" curriculum focused heavily on English, mathematics, and sciences, and strip the curriculum of ideological or politically biased materials, specifically gender ideology and Indigenous activism.
Review all state legislation to remove race-based privileges to ensure public assistance is allocated strictly on financial or social need; Restore public funding for respondents to native title claims and insert a sunset clause into native title legislation.
Introduce a school voucher system to give parents direct financial choice over where their children are educated; Mandate that school boards be made up of at least 50% parent-elected members.
Oppose the renaming of South Australian locations with Indigenous language names, while maintaining the preservation of all currently established Indigenous and non-Indigenous place names.
Mandate that schools cannot pass students to the next grade level unless they have successfully met all the academic requirements of their current year.
Enforce strict penalties (including termination of employment) for teachers found inserting personal political views into lessons; Mandate immediate suspension or expulsion for students perpetrating bullying.
Advocate for a long-term federal referendum to remove all references to race from the Australian Constitution, specifically targeting the removal of Section 25 and Section 51(xxvi).
For more information, visit the One Nation website.