Peter Bryden Malinauskas ( MAL-in-OW-skəs; Lithuanian: [mɐ.lʲɪ.nɐʊ̯.skɐs]; born 14 August 1980) is an Australian politician who has served as the 47th premier of South Australia since 2022. He has held office as the leader of the South Australian Labor Party and as the member of the House of Assembly (MP) for Croydon since 2018, having previously served in the Legislative Council from 2015 to 2018.
Malinauskas was born in Adelaide to parents of Hungarian and Lithuanian descent. He attended Mercedes College, and studied commerce at the University of Adelaide. In 2008, he was appointed as the Secretary of the South Australian/Northern Territory branch of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), serving until 2015. Malinauskas was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the Legislative Council on 1 December 2015, following the parliamentary resignation of Bernard Finnigan. During the Weatherill government, Malinauskas initially served as the Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Road Safety before serving as the Minister for Health and the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. At the 2018 state election, Malinauskas contested and won the safe Labor seat of Croydon after the retirement of former member Michael Atkinson. His party, led by Jay Weatherill, was defeated at the election, ending 16 years in government. After Weatherill's resignation, Malinauskas was elected leader of the party with Susan Close as his deputy. After just a single term as Leader of the Opposition, Malinauskas led his party to landslide victories at the 2022 and 2026 state elections.
As a member of Labor Right, the dominant faction within the South Australian branch of the Labor Party, and as a powerful figure within the relatively pro-business SDA, his political views have been described as centrist, while he has described his personal views as socially conservative. In 2011, when asked about progressive political issues, Malinauskas stated that he did not involve himself with the Australian labour movement for those issues, and prefers equal opportunity and the "fair go" over imposing equality of outcome. During his premiership, Malinauskas supported the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Federal Parliament, and implemented a state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament. Throughout his premiership, Malinauskas has remained one of the most popular politicians in Australia; in the lead up to the 2026 state election, a YouGov poll placed his net approval rating at +40%, with the same poll having 67% of respondents naming him as preferred premier.
Malinauskas was born in South Australia to Kathryn (Kate) née May and Peter Malinauskas Jr. on 14 August 1980. Malinauskas's 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. She married Peter Malinauskas Sr., a Lithuanian refugee, and the couple moved to Adelaide, later opening a fish and chip shop. Malinauskas's mother's ancestors were middle-class Irish.
In his school years, Malinauskas's family resided in Colonel Light Gardens. 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. He was a member of the student representative council and was school captain in year 12 in 1998. Mercedes College principal Peter Daw recalled Malinauskas as being "a future leader". 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". He studied commerce at the University of Adelaide and joined the ALP whilst studying.
Malinauskas worked at a Woolworths supermarket for seven years from 1995 at age 15, first as a trolley boy and later a checkout operator and night filler. He formed an early and enduring political relationship with Don Farrell through Woolworths workers' unionism. 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), the major player in the dominant Labor Right faction of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party. 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. Malinauskas was elected in July 2015 to Labor's National Executive at the party's National Conference.
Legislative Council (2015–2018)
Following the parliamentary resignation of Bernard Finnigan on 12 November 2015, Malinauskas filled the Legislative Council casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia on 1 December.
Premier Jay Weatherill indicated that Malinauskas could enter the Cabinet of South Australia in an early 2016 ministerial reshuffle, with reports of media speculation and internal party talk suggesting Malinauskas could potentially become the next Labor premier of South Australia, entering the House of Assembly through preselection as the next Labor candidate in Labor's safest lower house seat of Croydon with claims that incumbent Michael Atkinson "has long been willing to vacate his seat to Malinauskas if he ever wanted it". Atkinson announced in February 2017 that he would be retiring from parliament as of the 2018 election. Malinauskas confirmed he would be nominating for preselection.
Malinauskas served in the cabinet in the Weatherill ministry between January 2016 and March 2018, holding, at various times, ministerial portfolios with responsibility for police (2016–2017), correctional services (2016–2017), emergency services (2016–2017), road safety (2016–2017), health (2017–2018), and mental health and substance abuse (2017–2018).
Leader of the Opposition (2018–2022)
Malinauskas won the seat of Croydon at the 2018 election.
Following the resignation of Jay Weatherill after the 2018 election, a caucus meeting on 9 April 2018 elected Malinauskas as Labor Leader. He consequently became Leader of the Opposition, with former Education Minister Susan Close as his deputy.
In April 2021, former Labor MP Annabel Digance and her husband were arrested and charged with attempting to blackmail Malinauskas. Police alleged that the couple had threatened to make accusations against Malinauskas if he did not orchestrate Digance's return to politics by preselection for a safe seat or appointment to the Legislative Council or the Senate. The charges against the Digances were withdrawn in April 2023.
In March 2022, Malinauskas led the party to victory at the state election, winning 26 seats on an eight-seat swing party after making healthcare a theme during the election. He was sworn in as premier of South Australia on 21 March 2022.
Premier of South Australia (2022–present)
In May 2022, the government ended South Australia's state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia, after 793 consecutive days.
Soon after the election, Malinauskas pledged to implement a state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament, as well as restarting treaty talks and greater investment in areas affecting Aboriginal South Australians. In July 2022 Dale Agius was appointed as the state's first Commissioner for First Nations Voice, with the role commencing in August. The South Australian state-based Voice was delayed until 2024, because of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. Elections took place on 16 March 2024, with Maher describing it as a successful election despite the low turnout, saying that it would take time to build awareness and engagement.