South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has made one thing crystal clear during a major speech to the National Press Club.
He will not be running for federal politics.
Mr Malinauskas delivered the nationally televised address in Canberra on Wednesday and was asked if he had any ambitions to work at a federal level.
His response was blunt: “Absolutely not.”
“I made a very deliberate decision some time ago to put my hand up to represent the people of my state and state politics,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“I have not regretted the decision for one moment so I can rule that out.”
Following his resounding win in the state election, the Premier was asked if he had any advice for Anthony Albanese, who is about to face a federal election campaxjmtzywign.
“He doesn’t need advice from me,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“Anthony Albanese is one of the most experienced leaders that our country has had. He will bring an extraordinary degree of experience of the prime ministership which I desperately hope is able to succeed at achieving potentially in a few weeks time.
“Albo has a record of delivery for the people of Australia and the major economic portfolios and he doesn't need advice from me and I wish all the very best in a few weeks time.”
During his speech, Mr Malinauskas strongly endorsed four-year electoral terms and said Australia should welcome more people fleeing conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan.
He lauded the extraordinary contributions of previous generations of “new Australians”.
Mr Malinauskas said Australia could and must do more, offering to help lead the debate about the country’s unambitious refugee caps.
He said anything less than a doubling of the current number would be insufficient.
The Premier was also asked about Nick Xenophon’s attempt to return to federal politics.
“It strikes me Xenophon’s time in the sun has passed,” he said.
Mr Malinauskas also called on the former senator to explain his work for Chinese telco giant Huawei.
Prior to his speech, Mr Malinauskas posted a video to Facebook while out on a run through Canberra.
“We have a challenge in our country at the moment where the cost of living is going up and wages thus far haven't shown us much movement that’s required to keep pace with the rate of inflation. It’s been a challenge with us for a long time,” he said.
“We have a policy platform to tackle that challenge and make sure everyone working here (in Canberra) is taking on that challenge too.
“We need to make sure Australia continues to be not just a lucky country but a fair country.”
