By James Massola

Copyright smh

Now the 45-year-old Malinauskas has won the McKinnon prize for political leadership of a state or territory.

And though he is a former senior union and Labor Party official, Malinauskas doesn’t come across as a party hack from central casting. He supports nuclear power, for example, but conceded it’s not economically viable in Australia compared to other nations.

In their commendation, the McKinnon judges said that Malinauskas “has proven to be both committed and effective in collaborating across the aisle to achieve political and policy outcomes”.

“Since coming into office in 2022, premier Malinauskas has continued and enhanced previous efforts to reposition the South Australian economy, invest in its future and attend to pressing needs facing the state,” they said.