South Australian elections have most often by decided on local issues, but that certainly wasn’t the case at the last election earlier this year.

 

This was the first major test of One Nation’s rising national polling numbers. The party passed the test with flying colours, recording a primary vote of 22.9% and getting seven members elected to the state’s Parliament.

 

One Nation was all anyone could talk about during the campaign, especially the popular Labor premier Peter Malnuaskas. He put a primarily Federal issue – immigration – at the forefront of the state election campaign when he asked South Australians: ‘when you’re 90, who’s going to wipe your bum’.

 

It was a clumsy, offensive message directed squarely at South Australian voters, many of whom were considering voting One Nation for the first time.

 

He later gave an interview declaring he would lift his state’s sponsored immigration target by 15%, proving immigration is never solely a Federal matter.

 

Malinauskas miscalculated. A majority of the state and the nation support lower immigration. The issue has steadily risen in importance in polling, overtaking issues like security and climate change. The polls also show that more people trust One Nation to manage immigration than any other party.

 

The Premier is doubling down even as the Albanese Labor government tries to appear tougher on the issue in response to One Nation.

 

Albo’s government is badly divided on immigration. His home affairs minister was scheduled to announce a new Labor immigration policy to the National Press Club, only to cancel at the last minute when the Cabinet revolted against the plan. He was then going to announce a cut to the refugee intake, only for the Prime Minister to intervene directly.

 

Last week, Malinauskas gave a speech to the Sydney Institute, a distinction usually reserved for New South Wales premiers. It’s as good as a confirmation as any of the rumours he will make a move to Canberra as the gloss comes off his government’s failing record in South Australia.

 

Arguing for continued record high immigration despite voters’ opposition to it, he pulled out all the usual – and unsupported – claims about the economic benefits of high immigration:

 

 

None of this stacks up.

 

Skilled migrants only make up 15% of the intake, and the dependents they’re allowed to bring with them are a fiscal drain.

 

Migrants are not ageless, and they need aged care too.

 

Despite net overseas migration being more than the entire population of Adelaide since Labor came to power in 2022, our skills shortage remains.

 

As for universities, the Premier dismisses the proven fact that most international students come here to work in an advanced economy with high wages rather than actually study. They’re allowed to bring dependents too, resulting in more of a fiscal drain and more pressure on housing.

 

Productivity in Australia is in absolute freefall despite all the migrants Labor has brought here.

 

Malinauskas is not just doubling down on high immigration. He’s signalling where he wants it to go should he move to Federal politics in what is rumoured to be a tilt at leading Labor nationally.

 

He’s a member of Labor’s right faction. It’s a public challenge to the Prime Minister – a member of the left faction – as Albanese grapples with One Nation after the Secret Harbour win over Labor in Western Australia.

 

We used to say Labor was obsessed with net zero. These days they’re more obsessed with One Nation.