The South Australian premier has squeezed plenty of political reflection into his festive break as he prepares for a make-or-break year ahead.
Peter Malinauskas has a wary eye on March 2026 when he next goes to the polls in what most voters see as an unlosable election.
But he knows that even a week is a long time in politics, let alone a whole year.
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Labor holds a commanding 15 seat majority in the House of Assembly, meaning he can virtually railroad through legislation as required with the help of Upper House independents.
So, why should he be anxious?
He’s told the national broadcaster that two nagging issues potentially keep him awake at night.
The first is Whyalla and its trouble-plagued steelworks.
Peter Malinauskas has a wary eye on March 2026 when he next goes to the polls. Credit: AAP He’s watched on as local workers fear for their jobs, the plant has sat idle for months but is now back at half production, contractors wait to be paid millions of dollars, and his government still awaits royalty payments.
He says there’s only a degree of visibility his government’s entitled to because GFG’s steel operation is a privately owned company with substantial international complexity.
But that doesn’t alter the fact that GFG is poised to accept a $50 million taxpayer hand out and it also has a shocking track record for paying its debts on time.
“I do think it’s strategically important for the nation”, Malinauskas said.
“I suspect we’ll be talking about it over the course of the year because it’s important”.
7NEWS has long led the media charge in probing the workings of the company and its owner Sanjeev Gupta, as the government talked tough behind his back.
But when push came to shove last week during a meeting between the government and Mr Gupta at the Premier’s office, the VIP visitor was shielded from us, and we were prevented from asking any questions on behalf of taxpayers.
Go figure!
The Premier’s second quandary is the looming enterprise agreements with the union-based public sector.
Police have already deservedly earned a massive increase.
It varies, depending on rank, up to 17.9 per cent, with hefty retention bonuses as well.
Now, other public servants may expect the same treatment.
This year nurses, public hospital doctors, fire and ambulance officers are all up for a pay review.
“We’re not going to be unreasonable, but they’ve got to accept some responsibility,” he said.
“People who work in these sectors are working their guts out.
“They deserve a wage rise, but that needs to be sustainable within the budget.”
That’s code for expect a pay increase of about 3 per cent in line with inflation.
The Premier knows the public sector is his voting heartland and the last thing he needs in an election build-up is anger being ventilated or even worse, strike action at the front line.
It’s a delicate fine line for the premier over the next 14 months, but he rarely puts a foot wrong politically.
His public profile and popularity will be further enhanced during LIV golf, the AFL Gather Round, the Fringe and various other festivals.
His ultimate safety net is provided by a largely dysfunctional opposition.
After losing a leader who’s facing a serious drugs charge, they’ve now seen Upper House stalwart Jing Lee disappear for their ranks to the independent crossbench.
She’s hinted at disunity and harassment from those she hasn’t named.
It’s a bad look at a pivotal time.
But analysts can ponder all they want.
The real test comes when we all cast our votes on Saturday, March 21st next year.
That’s when the real political chooks come home to roost from punters with very long memories.