This is an edited extract of the Saturday night victory speech to the Labor faithful by new South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“The Liberal Party are not our enemy. They may be our adversaries but they are not our enemies, and we thank them for what is a significant night for them too.
“Steven Marshall’s [concession] call was utterly generous. It was gracious and it was done with the class that we have become incredibly familiar with.
“Steven Marshall has been leader of the Liberal Party in South Australia for nine years, including four years as premier, and that is a very significant contribution to his party and to our state, and we very much thank him for it.
“The Liberal Party of Australia is an essential component of our federation. It’s an essential component of our democratic process.
“Sometimes on election night when governments change hands, the successful party can confuse the elation of electoral success with an inflated sense of achievement.
“Naturally the people of South Australian Labor are right to feel elated tonight, but true satisfaction for us comes in realising our ambition, our ideal of delivering a fairer, better society and more opportunity.”
