The incumbent Labor government, led by PremierPeter Malinauskas, was elected to a second four-year term in government in a landslide victory.[2] In terms of both raw seats and percentage of seats available, it is SA Labor's greatest ever victory, exceeding its previous record in 1930 and its best showing since the introduction of single-member districts in 1938. The opposition Liberal Party, led by Ashton Hurn, suffered a large swing against it and received fewer primary votes than right-wing populist party One Nation. They were also reduced to their smallest-ever presence in the legislature. This marks the first time the Liberal Party have finished outside the top two highest parties by vote share at a South Australian election, and One Nation's best performance in any state or federal election since the 1998 Queensland state election, when the party won 22.68%.[3]
Aside from Labor, the Liberals and One Nation, other minor parties and independents contested the election. Left-wing environmentalist party the Greens recorded its highest share of votes at a South Australian election, though the party is not expected to win any lower house seats. In total 436 candidates across both houses contested seats at this election.
As of 4:30pm Sunday 22 March 2026, the ABC's elections department has projected Labor has won 32 seats, the Liberals 4, One Nation 1 seat, and an independent 1 seat, with a further 9 seats in doubt.[4] In the Legislative Council, preliminary results suggest Labor will win 4 seats, One Nation 3, Liberals 2, Greens 1 and 1 remains in doubt.[5]
In the Legislative Council, Labor gained a ninth seat, becoming the largest party in the upper house. Following the election, Liberal MLC Terry Stephens was unexpectedly re-elected to the chamber's presidency, meaning that Labor only required two additional votes to pass legislation. The Liberals were reduced to eight seats, and the Greens remained steady at two. SA-Best failed to win another seat with just 1% of the vote, leaving them with the two that they won at the 2018 election. One Nation won an upper house seat, with Sarah Game becoming the party's first Parliamentary representative in South Australia.
In April 2022, Liberal MP and former deputy premier Vickie Chapman wrote a letter to the Speaker of the HouseDan Cregan indicating her intention to resign on 31 May. This was interpreted by Cregan, backed up with legal advice, that this was an official resignation date, which she disputed. Labor declined to move a motion to declare her seat vacant, with the Leader of Government Business Tom Koutsantonis stating that it was a matter for the Liberal Party and the Leader of the Opposition.[8] Regardless, Chapman resigned on 31 May, triggering a by-election in her seat of Bragg. Held on 2 July, Liberal candidate Jack Batty retained the seat for the party with a margin of 5.6 percentage points, representing a 2.5 per cent swing towards Labor from the state election four months prior.[9]
In January 2023, Liberal MLC Stephen Wade resigned from the Legislative Council.[10] His position was filled by Ben Hood in March 2023.[citation needed] In July 2023, Nick McBride left the Liberal Party to sit as an independent, claiming that "dark forces" in party factions had created an environment of disunity and backstabbing.[11] In October 2023, Labor MLC Irene Pnevmatikos resigned after being re-diagnosed with kidney cancer.[12] Her vacancy was filled by Mira El Dannawi.[13] In December 2023, SA-Best MLC Frank Pangallo left the party to sit as an independent after a feud with the party's other upper house member Connie Bonaros over the government's proposed university merger.[14]
In February 2024, former premier Steven Marshall resigned from Parliament and retired from politics, triggering a by-election in his seat of Dunstan.[15] Held on 23 March, Labor candidate Cressida O'Hanlon won the marginal seat with a 1.4 per cent swing towards her, increasing Labor's numbers in the lower house to 28.[16] It was the first time that a sitting government in South Australia had taken a seat from the opposition at a by-election in over a century.[17] In April 2024, Dan Cregan resigned as Speaker of the House. Labor MP Leon Bignell was elected unopposed to the position later that month and temporarily left the Labor Party, as is required for the role of Speaker.[18] In October 2024, former Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the OppositionDavid Speirs resigned from Parliament after revealing that he had been arrested on suspicion of drug offences.[19] The ensuing by-election in his seat of Black was won by Labor's Alex Dighton, who received a 12.6 per cent swing towards him. It was the second seat Labor had gained from a by-election within nine months, further increasing their majority and reducing the Liberals to 13 seats in the lower house.[17]
In January 2025, Liberal MLC Jing Lee quit the party to sit as an independent.[20] In May 2025, MLC Tammy Franks quit the Greens to sit as an independent, due to internal tensions within the party.[21] A week later, Sarah Game, the first One Nation candidate elected to the South Australian Parliament, quit the party, stating that there were problems with how the party's brand was perceived.[22] She later formed her own party, Fair Go for Australians, in July.[23] In August 2025, independent MLC Frank Pangallo joined the Liberal Party to run as their candidate for Waite in the state election.[24] In September 2025, Independent MP Troy Bell resigned from Parliament after an unsuccessful appeal against his theft and fraud charges. A by-election was not held due to the cost of a regional by-election and the closeness to the state election.[25] Speaker of the House Leon Bignell rejoined the Labor Party on 5 September 2025.[26]
Members of the Legislative Council are elected by proportional representation using a single transferable vote. Members serve staggered eight-year terms with half of the Council elected at each state election.
The Commission's report was handed down in December 2024. The report noted that given the outcome of the previous election, it was possible to achieve minimal disturbance in the redistribution. The only electoral district outside of the allowable electoral quota was Taylor, which was 12.6% over and projected to be 18.6% by the middle of 2026. Five other districts were calculated to have a quota variance at or above 8% by 2026: Croydon (+8.1%), Flinders (–8.0%), Giles (–10.1%), Kaurna (+10.0%), and Kavel (10.0%). In the draft report four months earlier, the commission had recommended changes to the boundaries of Flinders, Black, Croydon, Gibson, Morphett, and West Torrens, but decided to retain the boundaries from the 2020 redistribution. Changes were made to 16 of the 47 districts. The redistribution meant that only five districts had a variance quota greater than five per cent.[27]:16–17
The Commission received two submissions to rename electoral districts. John Fulbrook, the member for Playford, requested that the district be renamed to avoid confusion with the City of Playford Council. He explained that his office once received 30 phone calls in a day from City of Playford ratepayers over a proposed increase in council rates. This suggestion was rejected, with the Commission stating that the electoral district has borne the name of Playford for 18 years longer than the local government area.[27]:17–18
Reggie Martin MLC made a submission concerning the name of the Electoral district of Frome. The district was named after the third Surveyor General of South Australia, Edward Charles Frome. Martin expressed concerns over the use of Frome's name due to his involvement in retributive actions against Aboriginal people in the Coorong area following the Maria massacre. The Commission sought further information from Dr Skye Krichauff, a historian specialising in South Australian colonial history and the relations between Aboriginal people and colonists, and Professor Irene Watson. The Commission determined that the district should be renamed, and received various submissions from Aboriginal organisations who have a connection to the area encompassed by the district of Frome. The name "Ngadjuri", meaning "we people", was chosen over the name "Cowie", meaning "water".[27]:18–24
Submissions were also made for the commemorative naming of electoral districts following the deaths of former premier Steele Hall, and Indigenous rights advocate Lowitja O'Donoghue. The Commission determined that the names were appropriate for an electoral district, however, it is current practice under the Geographical Names Act 1991 that a person should be dead for at least a year before their name is considered for commemorative naming. Submissions were also made for naming in honour of political activist Elizabeth Rose Hanretty, and former premiers John Bannon and David Tonkin. The Commission determined that their names may be appropriate for an electoral district in a future redistribution.[27]:24–25
Election date
The last state election was held on 19 March 2022 to elect members for the House of Assembly and half of the members in the Legislative Council. In South Australia, section 28 of the Constitution Act 1934, as amended in 2001, directs that parliaments have fixed four-year terms, and elections must be held on the third Saturday in March every four years unless this date falls the day after Good Friday, occurs within the same month as a federal election, or the conduct of the election could be adversely affected by a state disaster. Section 28 also states that the Governor may also dissolve the Assembly and call an election for an earlier date if the government has lost the confidence of the Assembly or a bill of special importance has been rejected by the Legislative Council. Section 41 states that both the Council and the Assembly may also be dissolved simultaneously if a deadlock occurs between them.[28]
The Electoral (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2013 introduced set dates for writs for general elections in South Australia.[29] The writ sets the dates for the close of the electoral roll and the close of nominations for an election. The Electoral Act 1985 requires that, for a general election, the writ be issued 28 days before the date fixed for polling (S47(2a)) and the electoral roll be closed at 12 noon, six days after the issue of the writ (S48(3(a)(i))). The close of nominations will be at 12 noon three days after the close of rolls (Electoral Act 1985 S48(4)(a) and S4(1)).[30][31][32]
Number of candidates by electoral district. 56789101112
A total of 436 candidates are contesting the election for the 56th Parliament of South Australia, up from 291 in 2022, and the most in the state's history. 388 are standing for the 47 House of Assembly seats and 48 for the 11 Legislative Council vacancies. Of the 436 candidates, 268 are men, 164 are women, with four unspecified. The most heavily contested seats are Hammond and Port Adelaide with 12 candidates in each electorate. It is the first time that a single seat will be contested by more than nine candidates. By contrast, the least contested seat is Bragg, with just five candidates.[34]
Five parties, Labor, Liberal, the Greens, One Nation, and the Australian Family Party, are contesting all 47 lower house districts. Antony Green notes that a majority of candidates are from minor right-wing parties, which would mostly disadvantage the Liberal Party as some preferences will leak away to Labor, who don't have to contend with a similar fracturing of support.[35] A number of parties are fielding large numbers of candidates in the upper house election: Labor have seven candidates, Liberal and SA-Best have five each, One Nation have four, and the Greens and the Australian Family Party have three each.[36]
Disendorsements and withdrawals
On 11 March, former AFL player Chris McDermott, the lead candidate for the Fair Go Party in the Legislative Council, quit the party citing irreconcilable differences, although he will still appear at the top of the party’s upper house ticket and will sit as an independent if elected. Sarah Game subsequently advised voters to not vote for the party in the Legislative Council, instead suggesting the Liberal Party could be the only "legitimate opposition [to the Labor Party]."[37]
On 12 March, Carlton Woodhouse, the Liberal Party’s candidate for Wright, was disendorsed after comments he made on an American podcast demonising Islam, feminism, same-sex marriage and "the trans agenda". As the disendorsement came after the close of nominations, Woodhouse will still appear on the ballot as the Liberal candidate. On the same day, party leader Ashton Hurn confirmed that while Woodhouse was no longer the party’s candidate for Wright, the party would still honour Woodhouse's contract at Liberal Party headquarters. Liberal Senator for South AustraliaAlex Antic, whom is aligned with the party's conservative faction, criticised the disendorsement saying that while he hadn’t read what Woodhouse had said, "if this guy is disendorsed, or if he feels compelled to leave, we might as well shut the doors on this election with one week to go."[38]
The day before the election, it was revealed that Aoi Baxter (also known as Trent Baxter), the One Nation candidate for Adelaide, had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to show up to a British court after he was charged with sexually touching a woman without consent. The party's media representative Richard Henderson was initially defensive when the Australian Broadcasting Corporation asked about the charges, commenting that it was a "charge but not conviction, right?". One Nation issued a statement to the ABC, stating that Baxter had not disclosed this information to the party and that it may be a different person. His profile was removed from One Nation's website shortly after[39] and One Nation then banned the ABC from its election night party over its coverage of the incident.[40]
The Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024 came into effect on 1 July 2025,[51] having passed Parliament with the support of Labor, Liberal, the Greens, and most independents.[52] The new laws introduced a ban on political donations to political parties, candidates, members of Parliament, and third parties. Instead, parties and individuals will receive public funding, which includes administrative funding for political parties limited to non-political use, advanced funding for parties participating in elections, and policy development funding of up to $20,000 a year (indexed with inflation) to eligible parties.[53] Non-incumbent candidates and newly registered political parties are exempt from the ban on donations and can access advanced payment to help with campaign expenses, in order to reduce barriers for new entrants into the political system.[54] Third party groups, including businesses, trade unions, and think tanks, have an expenditure cap of $450,000 during an election campaign.[55]
Candidates will receive funding based on the number of votes received at the previous general election, subject to whether or not they are affiliated with a registered political party, and whether or not that party has representation in Parliament. Candidates endorsed by a party with Parliamentary representation will receive $5.50 per vote, while candidates of parties with no members of Parliament at the time of dissolution will receive $6 per vote for the first 10% of total primary votes, and $5.50 for each vote thereafter. Incumbent independent candidates will receive $8.50 per vote, while non-incumbent independent candidates would receive $9 per vote up until 10 per cent of total primary votes, and $8.50 per vote above 10 per cent.[56]
The new laws were welcomed by the Centre for Public Integrity, who believe that laws "gets the balance right".[54] Public policy think tank The Australia Institute argued that the changes could lead to a less democratic system, stating that the vast majority of funding would go to the major parties and would make it harder for new entrants to campaign against incumbents.[54][57] Independent Federal Senator David Pocock also opposed the legislation, calling it "a major party stitch-up that subverts parliamentary process and seeks to lock out more community independents."[54]
Right-wing lobby group Turning Point Australia (TPAUS), an offshoot of the organisation formed by American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk,[58] intends to lobby for minor right-wing parties at the election, and to this end established a chapter in South Australia in September 2025. TPAUS aims to establish chapters across Australia, including in high schools and universities, with its leader, Joel Jammal, wanting politicians to see the organisation as "the biggest threat in keeping voters informed".[59] The group expects to spend over A$10,000 on their campaign, which will see them hosting events on university campuses, among other events.[58]
Preferences
The Liberal Party directed preferences to One Nation over Labor,[60] which drew criticism after Cory Bernardi, the lead candidate for One Nation's upper house ticket, stated the same day that he stood by comments he made 14 years prior linking gay marriage to the social acceptance of bestiality and backed party leader Pauline Hanson's suggestion that there were "no good Muslims".[61]
Labor preferenced One Nation last in 44 out of 47 seats, with TreasurerTom Koutsantonis stating that party rules specifically prohibited a deal with One Nation after Bernardi claimed that both parties had approached them.[62] In the remaining three seats, David Speirs, Fraser Ellis, and Nick McBride, all incumbent independents whom were formerly elected with the Liberal Party, were put last in Black, Narungga, and MacKillop respectively.[60] Speirs, who was convicted of drug supply charges in April 2025, was preferenced last by both Labor and the Liberals shortly after he announced his candidacy.[63]
A variety of polling organisations conducted nationwide and electorate-specific opinion polling for the election. Overall, polls predict a landslide victory for the Labor Party.
Labor has lead every poll in primary vote. Since the start of 2026, their vote has ranged from 35% (Roy Morgan, 19–23 Feb 2026) to 44% (Newspoll, 11–17 Feb 2026), with a two-party preferred margin of between 18 and 26 percentage points.
Since the start of 2026, polls have suggested that One Nation will record a higher primary vote than the Liberal Party; between 19% (DemosAU, 31 Jan–16 Feb 2026) and 28% (Roy Morgan, 19–23 Feb 2026), compared to the Liberal's 16.5% (Roy Morgan, 19–23 Feb 2026) and 20% (YouGov, 6–17 Feb 2026).
A graph showing the primary vote opinion polling in the lead-up to the 2026 South Australian state election, with LOESS regression.A graph showing the two-party preferred opinion polling in the lead-up to the 2026 South Australian state election, with LOESS regression.
Results
The incumbent Labor Party government was re-elected for a second term, so far winning 32 of the 47 seats in the House of Assembly. This is a net gain of 5 seats from the previous election, giving Labor their highest seat count in their history, eclipsing their result at the 1930 state election, in which they won 30 seats. The Liberal Party has fallen to just 4 seats, a loss of 12, their worst position in their history. One Nation won the seat of Ngadjuri, the first time that the party had won a lower house seat outside of Queensland, also becoming the time since 1933 that a political party, other than Labor or Liberal/National party, had won a lower house seat in South Australia.[66]
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's chief election analyst Casey Briggs reported a second term for Labor shortly after 7:45pm; within two hours of polls closing.[85]:1:47:34 By the end of polling day, the ABC projected that Labor had won 30 seats to the Liberal's four, with 13 still in doubt.[85]:4:45:06
Ashton Hurn conceded defeat shortly after 9:30pm, announcing that she had called Peter Malinauskas to congratulate him on Labor's re-election. In her concession speech, Hurn remained optimistic, stating that "[the pundits] said that we wouldn't get a single seat, but tonight, we will prove them wrong."[86] Despite the swing against the Liberal Party across the state, Hurn retained her seat of Schubert with a two-candidate-preferred count of over 70% against the One Nation candidate.[87] Malinauskas claimed victory at around 10:15pm, thanking Hurn for her "poise and commitment throughout the course of the campaign" and wishing her success into the future. He also acknowledged One Nation's strong result, and recognised Cory Bernardi for calling to congratulate him on his victory. He said that he was ready to work with the leaders of the other political parties in Parliament, as long as it is in the interests of South Australians. He praised his Labor Party as being "one of the most disciplined, united political parties in the history of our federation", yet remained cautious, stating that the result should not be confused as adulation, instead seeing it as an "invitation to continue to work our guts out for the next four years". Towards the end of his speech, whilst reflecting on Australian patriotism, Malinauskas quoted a poem from Henry Lawson, which included the follwing stanzas:[86]
Tis our duty to the stranger—landed maybe an hour— / To give all the information and assistance in our power. / To give audience to the new chum and to let the old chum wait, / Lest his memory be embittered by his first day in the state. / 'Tis our duty, when he's foreign, and his English very young, / To find out and take him somewhere where he'll hear his native tongue. / To give him our last spare moment, and our pleasure to defer — / He'll be father of Australians, as our foreign fathers were!
In November 2024, Labor gained Black from the Liberals at a by-election.
The seat of Mount Gambier became vacant on 2 September 2025 following the resignation of independent MHA Troy Bell. [1]
On 5 September 2025, Independent MHA Leon Bignell rejoined Labor.
123Seat projections from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 seats remain in doubt; Labor lead in 1 seat, Liberal lead in 2, One Nation lead in 3, and independents lead in 2.
↑Endorsed SA Socialists candidates who were listed as independent due to the party not being registered in time to appear on ballot.[68][69]
↑Mount Gambier was won by independent Troy Bell at the 2018 state election, but he resigned in September 2025, leaving the seat vacant.[72][73]
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