After years of declining importance, state premiers and chief ministers shot back to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as, day after interminable day, they updated us on COVID clusters, case numbers and the latest restrictions.

Peter Malinauskas became South Australia’s 47th premier in March 2022, as the pandemic entered its third year, when residents of the state took out their frustrations over issues such as ambulance ramping on the likeable but ineffectual Liberal premier Stephen Marshall.

And while he may have been best known, at least initially, for a viral photograph of him playing in a swimming pool with his young daughter – ripped abs and bulging biceps on full display – Malinauskas has quickly had an impact on the national political stage.

He was front and centre as a keynote speaker when the Voice to parliament referendum’s “Yes” campaign was launched in Adelaide in 2023, wowing the crowd with his speech. He’s merged South Australia’s two major universities, secured the AFL’s Gather Round for five years, banned political donations, started the national conversation about social media age limits that led to the Commonwealth introducing world-leading laws, revitalised the state’s economy and grown its advanced manufacturing capabilities following the exit of Holden nearly a decade ago.

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.

“He was considered to be a model premier, someone who had restored pride in his state, encouraging people to move to Adelaide, a city which is now seen as thriving.”

Typically modest, Malinauskas said winning the prize is “nice”, but he won’t let it go to his head.

“Politicians and prizes tend not to be a great mix. I’m aware of the work McKinnon does, they are a good organisation, an institution dedicated to improving the professionalism and capacity of political leaders, which, I think, is a good idea in this day and age,” he said.

South Australians are due to deliver their verdict on Malinauskas in a March 2026 state election, but the quietly spoken premier isn’t taking anything for granted. That’s despite a June YouGov poll published in the Adelaide Advertiser showing SA Labor held an incredible 67-33 lead in the two-party preferred vote that, if repeated on election day, would leave the SA Liberal Party with just two seats in the 47-seat lower house.

No one, least of all Malinauskas, expects that result.

Asked if he is confident of beating state opposition leader Vincent Tarzia, Malinauskas insists he is not.

“The guy I like to quote is [former Intel chief executive] Andy Grove: ‘Success breeds complacency, complacency leads to defeat, only the paranoid survive’. I think that’s true in politics as well as business, having a bit of paranoia helps because in politics things can change very quickly.”

He groans when the frequent rumours that he could switch to federal politics are raised, too.

“We have an election to win, if I have that great privilege, I will be serving a full term.”

And he dismisses suggestions that, much like federal counterpart Anthony Albanese, he has a large majority and is not using it to drive through generational change, reeling off a laundry list of reforms.

“It’s a big agenda, and we want to keep ticking it off.”

The McKinnon Prize selection panel includes former Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson, former deputy prime minister John Anderson, former WA premier Geoff Gallop, former independent MP Cathy McGowan, public policy expert Travers McLeod, Indigenous elder and advocate Lois Peeler and political commentator Peta Credlin and ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas.

It’s just the second state-based award from the McKinnon, NSW Premier Chris Minns and his predecessor Dominic Perrottet having shared the accolade in 2024 for their respectful conduct during the 2023 NSW election campaign.

This article is part of a content partnership between the Herald, The Age and McKinnon, an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit that focuses on the importance of democracy and good government.