Upon meeting 41-year-old leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition Peter Bryden Malinauskas, one realises that the father of three is a man passionate about politics and social justice, with a clear vision about the future, fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
With the upcoming elections only a month away in South Australia, Malinauskas says he is ready to take on the challenge of being in government and leading the state.
GRANDSON OF MIGRANTS
Born on 14 August 1980, Peter is the eldest child of Kathryn (Kate) née May and Peter Malinauskas.
Peter’s grandfather, a Lithuanian refugee migrated to Australia in 1948 while his Hungarian grandmother Eta survived World War II and escaped the post-war communist Hungarian state.
Eta was a widow. Shortly after having a baby, she lost her husband, and was therefore forced to go back to work. She was captured by the Nazis and was taken to a labour camp. When the war ended, she tried to go back to Budapest, but the Russians wouldn’t let her in, so she was stuck in Germany as a displaced person and eventually ended up in Australia on a displaced persons program. She separated from her one-year-old daughter and never returned to Hungary. The two of them never reunited.
MOVING TO AUSTRALIA
Peter and Eta met in the immigration center in Bathurst (NSW).
After spending six weeks together, Peter found a job in Adelaide. He left NSW and promised Eta they would soon reunite and get married.
“Six months later my grandmother who had spent all her money on a whole new outfit to look good for Peter, rolled up at Parafield airport to meet him and start a life together as they had agreed, but her future husband wasn’t there,” Malinauskas told Neos Kosmos.
“It was pouring with rain and my grandmother, who had nothing apart from what she was wearing, helpless and alone on the other side of the world, was just devastated when she realised that the man she loved wasn’t there. She thought he had stood her up, but little did she know that my grandfather, who had gotten his times wrong, would appear five hours later in a taxi full with gladiola flowers to welcome her. The rest is history as they say.”
Eta married Peter Malinauskas Sr and the couple opened a fish and chip shop in Adelaide.
The couple had one son, also named Peter.
Peter married Kate in 1978 and together they had three children. Kate’s family were middle class Irish.
The family resided in Colonel Light Gardens.
Being from a Catholic family, young Peter was sent to Mercedes College where he displayed leadership potential in 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.
Young Peter worked for Woolworths for seven years from age 15, first as a trolley boy and later a checkout operator and night-filler.
He says he grew up in an environment where his parents were never political.
“My parents were never liberal or labor; they were responsible citizens, interested in the current affairs and the world, and always encouraging us, the children, to care about social justice and the community.”
During his time at Woolworths, young Peter obtained a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Adelaide and 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).
“I was never a unionist but that is when I started developing an interest in politics,” says Malinauskas who first entered state parliament as a member of the South Australian Legislative Council in 2015, holding Cabinet portfolios in the Weatherill Ministry from 2016 before moving to the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Croydon in 2018.
Following the resignation of Jay Weatherill after the 2018 state election, Malinauskas was elected Labor Leader and he consequently became Leader of the Opposition.
THE PANDEMIC
In January 2022, Malinauskas was diagnosed with COVID-19 and announced that he would isolate at home. He said his wife and three children had returned negative results.
A few days later, he reported that his wife and three children had also caught the virus.
Asked about the pandemic that has rocked the world Malinauskas says that although he agrees that South Australia’s borders had to open eventually, he feels that the move should have been done when it was safe to do so.
“Nothing is more important than the readiness of our health system. South Australia has the toughest restrictions in the nation at the moment because we have the weakest hospital system in the nation. If we were to open the borders and we had everything ready to go; we had the testing ready to go, the hospital system ready to go, we had the school plan ready to go, purchased the rapid tests and everything properly in place to get ready for that moment, then sure open the borders. But it turns out that once the borders opened and the virus came in, it’s been a mess ever since. If the government had done the preparatory work, then the impact on our health system, the economy and the school system would have been a lot less; but what’s done is done now and the question is, where to from here?”
POLICIES
Asked about his future plans and what the next day would look like for him, and South Australia should he gain voter’s confidence and get elected, Malinauskas says he is very confident about his policies and ready to tackle the state’s wide range of issues.
“If you have good policies and lead good initiatives then you can achieve an outcome and make a difference in someone’s life and that is very rewarding. It is exhilarating. It’s a great feeling when you can put something in place that can change someone’s life and I feel that the health system is where we need to start off from.”
HEALTH
“Health is a clear choice.”
Malinauskas believes that the health of all South Australians should be a priority.
“That is why we have made the decision not to invest $662 million in a basketball stadium as per Steven Marshall’s plan, instead put that money into our health system, including $100 million for country health (Victor Harbor, Goolwa, Upper Spencer Gulf region, Limestone Coast, Kangaroo Island Hospital and Adelaide Hills).
“At a time when ambulance ramping has been the worst we have ever seen and our emergency departments are some of the worst performing in the country, building a new Basketball Stadium is simply not the right priority.”
EMPLOYMENT
“Economic security for all.”
South Australia has always struggled with high unemployment rates and the coronavirus pandemic has certainly made things worse for all South Australians.
“The very definition of Labor is work. It’s business that creates opportunity and provides the chance for people to get jobs and be in work. We passionately believe in the dignity that work can provide, regardless of what work you may be doing. That’s why we will always make South Australian jobs its number one priority. Our plan for the future of jobs in the state will deliver thousands of secure, well-paid new jobs and a $20 billion pipeline of renewable energy projects through our Hydrogen Jobs Plan.”
EDUCATION
“We will not let our children down.”
Malinauskas says that education is an area that doesn’t get talked about a lot but worries him the most.
“As a state we are going backwards as far as average school age performance is concerned. In a world where we are going backwards in terms of education, that is a world where our standard of living is going to be compromised in the long term. A South Australian child who does well at school is more likely to earn a stable income to buy their own home, build their lives and give back to the community. Our state’s future success will be defined by how we treat our children and young people, by the care they receive and the quality of their education,” explains the father of three vowing to turn the state’s education system around if elected.
MIGRATION
South Australia’s long history of migration since 1836 has brought together people from approximately 200 countries, speaking some 180 languages and practicing more than 90 different religions.
“Labor understands the immense importance of a multicultural and diverse community in South Australia, therefore should we get elected, our government will increase the multicultural budget by $16 million over four years,” says Malinauskas.
“MY FRIENDS, THE GREEKS”
Asked about his ties and close relationships with the Greek Australian community the Australian politician says he has always felt very connected to the Greeks.
“Firstly, I have a lot of good friends that are Greek, and I find the Greek community as one of the most generous and welcoming communities in South Australia. I find the whole Greek culture probably one of the most enjoyable to be around therefore I am always happy to be invited and attend festivals and events that celebrate Hellenism. Also being catholic, something I have enjoyed in a way that I probably didn’t expect was experiencing the orthodox services, there is a mystery to it that I quite enjoy,” Malinauskas concluded.
