Peter Malinauskas
Peter Bryden Malinauskas[a] (born 14 August 1980) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and current premier of South Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for the division of Croydon since 2018. He was previously the Leader of the Opposition from 2018 until his victory at the 2022 state election.
Peter Malinauskas
Malinauskas has been a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly since 2018, representing the electorate of Croydon. He was previously a member of the South Australian Legislative Council between 2015 and 2018.
Early life[edit]
Malinauskas was born in South Australia to Kathryn (Kate) née May and Peter Malinauskas Jr. on 14 August 1980.[1][2][3] Malinauskas' paternal Hungarian grandmother Eta survived World War II and escaped the post-war communist Hungarian state when she emigrated to Bathurst in New South Wales.[1] She married Peter Malinauskas Sr., a Lithuanian refugee, and the couple moved to Adelaide, later opening a fish and chip shop.[1][4] Malinauskas' mother's forebears were middle-class Irish.[1]
In his school years, Malinauskas' family resided in Colonel Light Gardens.[1] Being from a Catholic family, Malinauskas was sent to Mercedes College where he displayed leadership potential in Australian rules football and cricket, as well as excelling in his studies.[1] He was a member of the student representative council and was school captain in year 12.[1] Mercedes College principal Peter Daw recalled Malinauskas as being "a future leader".[1] Additionally, Daw recalled Malinauskas as being "one of those kids involved in lots of things" and a "popular lad" with a "magnetic personality that appealed to teachers and students alike".[1]
Union figure[edit]
Malinauskas worked for Woolworths for seven years from 1995 at age 15, first as a trolley boy and later a checkout operator and night filler.[5] He formed an early and enduring political relationship with Don Farrell through Woolworths workers' unionism. During his time at Woolworths, Malinauskas obtained a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Adelaide. He became an influential union official who served from 2008 to 2015 as Secretary of the South Australian/Northern Territory branch of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA),[1] the major player in the dominant Labor Right faction of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party.[6] In August 2011, some media outlets claimed Malinauskas was the sole "faceless man" who informed Mike Rann he had lost the support of his party and to step down as premier of South Australia in favour of Jay Weatherill.[7] Malinauskas was elected in July 2015 to Labor's National Executive at the party's National Conference.[8]
Political views[edit]
Malinauskas is a member of the Labor Right faction. His views have been described as centrist.[9][10]
Asked about progressive political issues in 2011 such as same sex marriage, stem-cell research, euthanasia and abortion, Malinauskas said his personal views would be "considered socially conservative" and went on to state "I didn't get involved in the Australian labour movement because of any of these issues. I believe in the fair go but I get frustrated with left-wing ideology that focuses more on imposing equality than providing for equality of opportunity. This is why I'm passionate about Australian education − universal access to quality schooling gives everyone the chance to succeed".[1]
Asked about nuclear power in South Australia, Malinauskas in 2014 said he was pro-nuclear despite Labor at the time remaining opposed to the establishment of a new nuclear waste repository or nuclear power plant in South Australia. Malinauskas stated "I believe climate change is a real challenge we need to face up to, and nuclear energy can be a safe source of baseload power, with zero carbon emissions" and "we should have a mature debate based on science and economics to determine if a nuclear industry is viable in South Australia". In March 2015 Labor initiated a Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission,[11] and in 2016 launched a "Get to know nuclear" campaign to further explore the commission's findings. In October 2016 at the South Australian Labor party conference, Malinauskas spoke of the protesters who had gathered outside in opposition to the establishment of new nuclear waste storage facilities. He told delegates: "The difference between us and them, of course, is that we take very seriously our obligation to make sure that our ideology is underpinned by evidence."[12]
Ban from Russia[edit]
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Malinauskas was listed among 121 Australians banned from entering Russia, possibly due to his Lithuanian background. He later joked that he was "grateful" to be included on the list.[49][50][51]