Vision for South Australia | An address by Premier Peter Malinauskas

Yes, increased housing density will be an important part of meeting South Australia’s housing targets, but it will not be the only solution. Our approach is balanced. We are supporting well-designed medium-density housing in appropriate locations close to jobs, services and transport, while also continuing greenfield development and regional housing growth. 

Density done well improves affordability, reduces infrastructure costs, and strengthens communities, but it must be supported by proper planning, open space, and community consultation. In addition to my speech at CEDA, this week we have released several policies of how we plan to increase our housing supply over the next four years.  

Further details can be found here: https://www.forthefuture.com.au

Renewables will remain the backbone of South Australia’s energy future. We are already a global leader in wind and solar, and this has delivered lower wholesale prices and energy security. However, this Government has been steadfast in its view that natural gas will have a significant role in the energy transition. 

That is why the day after the CEDA speech I announced that the State Government had secured a long-term domestic gas supply agreement with Santos, ensuring gas currently sold overseas will instead be used in South Australia and help underpin the transformation of the Whyalla Steelworks. 

The South Australian Strategic Gas Reserve will see Santos supply 20 petajoules of gas each year for 10 years from 2030 – the equivalent of a third of the state’s entire annual gas usage across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

We recognise the importance of ensuring South Australians benefit from the state’s mineral wealth, including copper. Our priority is to ensure mining growth translates into jobs, skills, infrastructure and long-term economic resilience. A sovereign wealth fund is not something currently being considered.

Yes. Public transport, including rail, is fundamental to improving productivity, accessibility and quality of life. 

It is why we have protected a corridor between Seaford and Aldinga for a future rail extension and looking carefully at other corridors.

Inclusive growth is a core principle of our economic agenda. Growth must translate into better outcomes for everyone, including those facing disadvantage.

This means investing in social and affordable housing, accessible health and mental health services, skills and training pathways. Economic growth and social justice must advance together.

Our focus is on ensuring mining delivers maximum long-term value, jobs, skills, local procurement and infrastructure, while remaining internationally competitive. Royalties are one tool, but so too are downstream processing, workforce development and local industry participation. 

These settings must be carefully balanced to sustain investment and maximise community benefit.

Absolutely. Economic growth must be matched with strong mental health and wellbeing supports. We are investing in mental health services across prevention, early intervention and crisis care, with a strong focus on community-based and regional services. 

We have already announced several policies in the mental health space which are available at www.forthefuture.com.au

Sharing prosperity means removing barriers to participation. We are investing in education, skills, childcare, pre-school, flexible work, and pathways into secure employment. 

Targeted programs support women, young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to access emerging opportunities in growing industries.

The Office of the South Australian Industry Advocate is not redundant. It plays a critical role in ensuring major government projects maximise opportunities for South Australian businesses and workers, particularly small and medium enterprises. 

The Industry Advocate exists to make sure that procurement processes are fair, transparent and structured in a way that gives local firms a genuine opportunity to participate, not just as subcontractors at the margins, but as meaningful contributors across the supply chain. This includes monitoring compliance with local industry participation commitments, intervening where barriers exist, and holding proponents accountable for delivering local outcomes. 

On major infrastructure projects like the Torrens to Darlington (T2D), it is important to distinguish between specialist design capability and overall project delivery. Large, complex tunnel projects often require highly specialised expertise that may be sourced nationally or internationally, particularly for early-stage reference design and risk modelling. That does not mean South Australian engineers are being sidelined, nor does it diminish the strength of our local engineering sector. 

In fact, South Australian firms are heavily involved across the project lifecycle, including detailed design, construction, project management, surveying, geotechnical works, utilities, traffic management, environmental services and long-term maintenance. Thousands of South Australian jobs are being supported directly and indirectly through this project. 

This is precisely where the Office of the South Australian Industry Advocate adds value, ensuring local content commitments are real, enforceable and translated into on-the-ground jobs and contracts for South Australians.

We have learnt from our mistakes at Mount Barker and Minister Champion is working very hard to ensure that growth and expansion is properly planned for and funded. We are committed to working closely with councils to ensure new developments support, rather than strain, community services and infrastructure

We are updating planning standards to support EV-ready housing and expanding charging infrastructure across metropolitan and regional South Australia. This ensures households and businesses can confidently transition to electric vehicles as part of our clean energy future.

No. My government has ruled out toll roads and has no plans to introduce them in SA.

The best protection against rising prices is supply, particularly housing supply. We are accelerating housing approvals, investing in infrastructure to unlock land, supporting build-to-rent and social housing, and delivering targeted cost-of-living relief to households.

We are investing heavily in skills, apprenticeships, training and migration pathways. This includes supporting trade careers, strengthening university-industry links and opening up new technical colleges. If re-elected we have announced we will deliver a further three technical colleges across our State, bringing to eight the total number of technical colleges. 

South Australia has a strong domestic construction materials sector, and major projects are being sequenced and coordinated to avoid unnecessary pressure on supply chains. 

The Government works closely with suppliers to forecast demand well in advance, allowing local producers to scale production, invest in new plant and expand capacity with confidence. Importantly, major infrastructure projects are deliberately structured to prioritise locally produced materials wherever possible. South Australian quarries, concrete batching plants, fabricators and steel processors are already supplying significant volumes into current projects, directly supporting local jobs and manufacturing capability.

My one ask of business is to partner with us in building South Australia’s future. That means investing locally, training and employing South Australians, backing apprenticeships and skills development, and working with us to lift productivity, innovation and capability across the economy. 

We are committed to providing certainty, through long-term pipelines of work, stable policy settings and strong support for local industry. 

In return, we ask business to lean in to take on more local workers and apprentices, invest in skills, technology and capacity, and look beyond short-term pressures to the long-term opportunity South Australia presents. South Australia’s growth is real and sustained, across housing, infrastructure, defence and advanced manufacturing. 

If government and business pull in the same direction, we can turn that growth into secure jobs, stronger local supply chains and enduring prosperity for the state.

Progress and development are essential for South Australia’s future, but they must go hand in hand with protecting our environment and responding responsibly to climate change. Getting the balance right means planning smarter, building better and acting for the long term. 

For South Australia, progress is not about growth at any cost. It is about sustainable development, projects that create jobs, unlock economic opportunity and support population growth, while reducing emissions, protecting biodiversity and respecting our unique landscapes. We are achieving that balance by:

• Embedding climate considerations early in project design, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
• Investing in clean energy and decarbonisation, with South Australia already a national leader in renewable energy and energy storage.
• Setting clear environmental standards so development is predictable, transparent and held to account.
• Focusing on quality, well-located development that reduces sprawl, improves transport efficiency and lowers long-term emissions.

Importantly, climate action and economic development are not in conflict, they reinforce each other. Clean energy, green manufacturing, sustainable construction and climate-resilient infrastructure are already creating thousands of jobs and positioning South Australia as a global leader in the net-zero economy. 

The balance is achieved when government, industry and communities work together, being honest about trade-offs, listening to local concerns and making decisions that serve both today’s needs and future generations. In short, South Australia’s approach is clear, development that is sustainable, and climate action that delivers economic opportunity as well as environmental protection.

South Australia is tackling the engineering workforce challenge from the classroom through to careers, by building a connected, long-term pipeline rather than relying on short-term fixes.

Starting with maths and STEM in schools:

The foundation is strong maths capability. We are lifting participation and confidence in mathematics and STEM through curriculum focus, teacher development, industry-linked programs and early exposure to real-world applications of engineering. When students can see how maths connects to solving practical problems, infrastructure, clean energy, defence, space and advanced manufacturing, engagement and retention improves.

Clear pathways from school to tertiary study:

We are strengthening pathways between schools, vocational education and universities so students can move seamlessly into engineering degrees or technical roles. This includes school-based STEM programs, dual-credit arrangements, work-integrated learning and partnerships that allow students to experience engineering environments before they graduate.

Universities aligned with industry demand:

South Australian universities are closely aligned with industry needs, ensuring engineering courses reflect the skills required on major projects underway and coming down the pipeline,  from transport and housing to defence and energy. 

Industry placements, internships and co-designed curricula mean graduates are job-ready from day one.

TAFE, apprenticeships and technicians:

Not every engineering role starts or ends at university. We are expanding technician and paraprofessional pathways through TAFE and apprenticeships, recognising that engineers rely on a strong technical workforce around them. This broadens the talent pool and strengthens overall capability.

Retention, attraction and migration:

Alongside growing local talent, we are retaining graduates by providing certainty, a visible pipeline of projects and careers in South Australia and complementing this with targeted skilled migration where needed. The aim is simple: grow local first, attract expertise where necessary, and keep skills in the state.

I’m really sorry that you feel this way, and I want to be absolutely clear that your place in Australia, and in South Australia, is unquestionable. South Australia is a multicultural state, built by people who came here from all over the world, worked hard, raised families, contributed to their communities and made this place better. That story is not something I’m cautious about, it’s something I’m proud to talk up, loudly and consistently. 

I have never shied away from supporting skilled migration or celebrating multiculturalism, and I won’t start now, no matter how much noise there is at the margins of politics. South Australia needs skilled migration. 

Our economy depends on it. Our hospitals, our aged care sector, our construction industry, our defence and advanced manufacturing sectors all rely on people who chose to make South Australia home. I reject the idea that people who live here, pay taxes, raise children and contributed to society should ever be made to feel like they don’t belong. That is not the South Australia I know, and it’s not the South Australia my government stands for. 

There will always be voices who seek to divide. A confident South Australia doesn’t retreat from diversity, it embraces it. It understands that multiculturalism is a strength, not a threat. And it understands that skilled migration is not something to apologise for, it’s something that has helped build this state and will continue to shape its future. If you’ve made your life here, if you contribute here, if you care about this place, then this is your home. 

My job as Premier is to make sure South Australia remains a place where people from all backgrounds feel respected, valued and able to belong. And on that, I will not waver.

Strong economic growth means higher payroll tax receipts, increased stamp duty from housing activity, stronger GST revenues, and more business activity overall. 

The more people working, building and investing in South Australia, the stronger the revenue base becomes, without increasing tax rates.

South Australia has some of the strongest environmental and regulatory frameworks in the world. Mining approvals are rigorous, transparent and enforce high standards. Growth will not come at the expense of environmental protection.

As South Australia grows in strategic importance, security considerations increase. We are working closely with national partners on cyber security, critical infrastructure protection and defence capability, ensuring prosperity is matched with resilience.