With the South Australian State Election due to occur in 7 months, I have decided that it is time to create a post detailing the parties that have registered to run in that election. This won't be super in-depth, I'll save that for my regular party policies summary document that'll be out far closer to the election. It does contain a decent bit of my own opinion, but I'll leave my full subjective thoughts for my party reviews next year. Instead, this thread will simply outline each party registered, their leaders (with a short blurb), any key policies, and some other basic info. It is moreso a tool to keep track of the parties which exist as more come up, as inspired by Kevin Bonham's party tracker.
Registered Parties
Animal Justice Party
Leader: Unknown
Ideologies: Animal Rights, Vegan Politics
Date Registered: 24/11/2016
Blurb: The Animal Justice Party we are all aware of. Perhaps the most well-known single issue party (debatable with the rise of Legalise Cannabis), AJP is dead set on animal rights and welfare. Their policies range from moderate to radical (including the ending of all animal farming). While they have not had electoral success in South Australia just yet, seats in NSW, Victoria, and WA's Legislative Councils suggest that their luck could change.
Australian Family Party
Leader: Bob Day
An infamous name in SApolitics circles, Bob Day has had a long 'career' in politics. Starting off as a Liberal party candidate, he soon left the party and joined Family First, becoming their most prominent candidate in SA. This eventually led to him, through the 2016 double dissolution, winning a senate seat, from which he quickly resigned. Following Family First's collapse in SA, Day created the Australian Family Party, running in the 2022 SA state election. More recently, he was the Trumpet of Patriot's 2nd Senate candidate for SA in the 2025 Federal election.
Ideologies: Social Conservatism, Conservative Family politics
Date Registered: 11/11/2021
Blurb: Primarily a vehicle for the same crusades Bob Day has been fighting for the last decade, the AFP rose from the ashes of the Family First party to fight in the 2022 election. Claiming, amongst other things, that it fights for family resilience and free speech, Day being its leader is perhaps a clear enough example that those mean reduced protections and rights for minorities. In any case, the AFP only received 0.8% at the 2022 SA election, having had to compete with the reborn Family First Party. Its luck isn't looking any better this time around.
Australian Greens SA
Leader: Robert Simms
Perhaps the only remaining big name in the SA Greens, Simms is an eternally interesting leader for the party. Beginning political life as a candidate for the Democrats in 2004, he made his way into the Greens by the 2010 state election, and was a city councillor for them in 2015. He entered the Legislative Council in 2015 to fill Penny Wong's spot as a casual vacancy, only to lose his seat in 2016 and return to the city council in 2018. Once again though, he'd be back in the Legislative Council through a casual vacancy, filling Mark Parnell's spot in 2021. Perhaps his most recent area of note is his connection to the 'Save the Cranker' movement, which was actually successful in 2024.
Ideologies: Green politics, left-wing progressivism
Date Registered: 13/02/1996
Blurb: The South Australian Greens are a party in an interesting state. With no members in the lower house, and only one in the upper house, they haven't really managed to capture proper third-party status like they have in other states and federally. This is further apparent by the fact that they haven't recieved over 10% of the vote in any SA state election they've contested. For the Greens, 2026 demonstrates a chance to finally breach that barrier, with many in the state on the left looking for an alternative to Malinauskus' Labor. However, the dramatic resignation of Tammy Franks from the party earlier in the year may demonstrate that the Greens in SA aren't yet ready to step up to the plate.
Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch)
Leader: Peter Malinauskas
What can you say about Peter Malinauskas, or Mali, that hasn't been said by the media or political hacks statewide. He's a smooth political operator and is good at curating his image, even if his politics leave alot to be desired for those further on the left at times. Coming into SA politics in 2015, he shot up the ranks quite quickly to become leader of the opposition in 2018, and obviously Premier in 2022. A man who keeps his political views close to his chest these days, everyone in South Australia has an opinion on this man for better or worse. One common thing you'll hear these days is alot of people betting that Malinauskas will hold the position of Premier for as long as Playford. Whether this is true, only time will tell, but it is certaintly interesting that earlier predictions of Malinauskas going into federal politics seem to have fallen silent.
Ideologies: Social Democracy, Big-tent progressivism
Date Registered: 17/10/1985
Blurb: Quite simply, the SA Labor party is in perhaps the best position of its life. The most recent poll for the state predicted that not only would it win the 2026 election in a landslide, but that it would win all but 2 seats in the state's lower house. Almost certainly a left-leaning 'big tent' party these days, SA Labor seems to capture voters from the far-left all the way to the centre-right. Despite this though, the shine may begin wearing off soon, as the algal bloom issue in the state, as well as some other stumbles, may have the potential to dull the party's gleam.
Family First Party Inc
Leader: Unknown
Ideologies: Social Conservatism, Christian Politics
Date Registered: 13/01/2022
Blurb: Born from the ashes of the original Family First (and Bob Day), this iteration of Family First is more of the same. It pushes right-wing Christian ideals above all else, something very clear from its messaging in 2022. That did not make it the most popular party, however, Family First does have a history of doing decently in SA, and did manage to get 3.7% of the vote in the 2022 state election (2.6% in the 2025 Federal Election). Whether this Family First manages to reach the heights its previous iteration did, especially with the Australian Family Party and other right-wing micro-parties around, seems uncertain.
Jing Lee - Better Community
Leader: Jing Lee
Jing Lee has been an MLC since 2010, and prior to this year, had been a part of the furniture with the South Australian Liberals. However, after the absolute catastrophe that was the attempted abortion restrictions, an event which saw her become the centre of attention when she voted against a deal made with a Liberal MLC battling breast cancer, allegedly due to threats made against her by anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe, Lee left the Liberal party. In doing so, she became an independent MLC, and has started what may be a trend for those to make their own micro-parties.
Ideologies: SA Regionalism
Date Registered: 22/05/2025
Blurb: I won't lie, there is not much to write here. The party does not have a website (an infuriating recurring phenomenon as you'll see), and from what little I can glean from Lee's own site, it may be a 'pro-small/family business' party. More to come as Jing Lee adds more...hopefully.
Legalise Cannabis South Australia Party
Leader: Unknown
Ideologies: Cannabis Legalisation
Date Registered: 27/01/2022
Blurb: It's Legalise Cannabis, its exactly what it says on the tin. They want to legalise weed. In terms of their chances this election, they got 2% at the 2022 state election (their first one in SA) and 2.86% in the Federal Election (making them the 5th highest party in SA). Looking at it, it seems likely they'll do better, but I do not believe a Legislative Council seat is in their grasp.
Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division)
Leader: Vincent Tarzia
One of the longest-serving Liberals in the state (despite only coming into office in 2014), Tarzia has taken up the mantle of opposition leader with something not dissimilar to a crawl. It's not like Tarzia is unfamiliar with a hard-fought battle, he managed to beat Nick Xenophon for his seat in the 2018 state election, a seat everyone in the state believed Xenophon had won. However, his uptake of the Liberal party leadership has not been especially successful. Having been held in some less obvious ministries and shadow ministries in the last couple years (Minister for police, emergency services and correctional services anyone?), his personal image is just eclipsed by many in the state, none moreso than his opposite in Malinauskas. Tarzia's climb to Premier, if it is even on the table, seems near Herculean.
Ideologies: Liberal Conservatism, Social Conservatism
Date Registered: 17/10/1985
Blurb: South Australia's Liberal Party is a shambolic mess. There are simply no other words to use. The party was slammed in 2022, and has done little to right its ship since. Recent attempts by federal members, including Alex Antic, to push for the state Liberals to become more right-wing are incredibly out of touch with South Australians, and if successful, will bury the party. Even the recent inclusion of Frank Pangallo seems to have done nothing to stop the bleeding. Will the Liberals get only 2 seats like a recent poll predicted? Unlikely, but I can't see them gaining seats in their current form.
National Party of Australia (SA) Inc
Leader: Unknown
Ideologies: Conservatism, Agrarianism
Date Registered: 17/10/1985
Blurb: South Australia is perhaps the state (besides Tasmania nowadays) where the Nationals are the least relevant 'major' political force. They have never been in a formal coalition with the Liberals, and have not held a single seat in the state since 2010 (they didn't even contest the 2018 election). Their latest iteration did not find success in 2022 either, placing below Family First, One Nation, and the Animal Justice Party. All of this is to say that there isn't much to say about the Nationals, and that they're unlikely to be a major political force in the state for some time.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation
Leader: Carlos Quaremba
Only recently announced (as of August 2025), Carlos Quaremba is not the most well-known politician in Australia. A Councillor for Victor Harbour and the president for the party in SA, Quaremba's platform is essentially just to be anti-Labor and anti-net-zero. Perhaps his biggest claim to fame is showing up in a single episode of Cory Bernardi's "Bernardi" TV Show. Beyond this his political history is lacking, though he has ran for PHON in the 2025 Federal Election and in the 2022 state election (for Barker).
Ideologies: Hansonism, Reactionary Politics
Date Registered: 16/09/2021
Blurb: One Nation is an interesting case in South Australia. Recently brought back into the state for the first time since 2006, PHON did manage to get 2.6% of the vote in the lower house, and over 4% in the upper house, leading to their first MLC, Sarah Game (who we'll talk about in just a second). The party did poorer in the state than it wanted during the Federal election, but it was not an entirely terrible result either. However, that result did cause a massive blow up, with lead candidate/state president Jennifer Game, and the aforementioned Sarah Game, leaving the party over issues we'll also discuss soon. That is major issue for One Nation, as while the Games aren't celebrities, they certainly had more presence than someone like Quaremba. In any case, its the One Nation we all know, they'll spend the next half year preaching about the failures of net-zero while pushing a reaction that most of us don't want to hear.
Sarah Game Fair Go for Australians
Leader: Sarah Game
Sarah Game is not an easy individual to pin down. She was not meant to win her seat in the Legislative Council back in 2022, she literally did no interviews, had no real online presence, and didn't even appear on One Nation's campaign materials (though, if you believe Hanson nowadays, this is because Game was lazy). Since then, she has made a 'name' for herself by not being the most insane One Nation politician to 'grace' this country, but has mostly stayed away from attention. That was, of course, until her and her mother explosively left One Nation. Now, both her and Hanson have their stories over why it happened, but from what I know and understand, One Nation's poor preformance in SA in the federal election had caused issues between Jennifer Game and Hanson who had both expected more from eachother. That blew up, and Sarah left the party alongside her mother.
Ideologies: Social Conservatism
Date Registered: 24/07/2025
Blurb: Much like Sarah herself, there isn't really much to say about the party. It has an absolutely horrible name, but besides that, there is no party website for me to find policies or even vague thoughts. If one had to guess, this will probably just be One Nation-lite, and considering Game isn't up for re-election this year, I don't know if much effort will be put into the party.
Stephen Pallaras Real Change SA
Leader: Stephen Pallaras
The former Director of Public Prosecutions in the state, Stephen Pallaras is a lawyer (and a Greek) through and through. A simple read of his website makes this very clear. He talks deeply about his time as being a lawyer, calls himself instrumental in the calls for an ICAC, and even says he was known as "the Human Rights Champion of the Pacific". These lofty titles aside, Pallaras is someone with real experience, even if it is really outside of the political realm. Inside the political realm, he does often stumble alongside much larger names than his own.
Ideologies: Centrism, Law and Order
Date Registered: 20/01/2022
Blurb: Lets get this out of the way straight away. I hate the recent addition of Pallaras' name to the party name. His name, realistically, has no additional brand value, and doesn't really add to the name at all. Aside from that though, Real Change SA is a pretty straightforward party. Its policies (and it has them so thats a bonus) are all centred around either cost of living issues like the housing crisis/supermarkets, or are law & order focused such as with specialised domestic violence police units or rape trial reform. Its very much the bog standard 'micro-party thats actually an independent in disguise' meets a criminal lawyer. Will Pallaras win anything? No. But he did nearly get 1% of the vote last election in the upper house, above a couple of other parties, so he might have a role to play.
SA-BEST Incorporated
Leader: Connie Bonaros
One of Nick Xenophon's many political offspring (there's a research article to be written on that), Bonaros is probably one of the people whom that title properly belongs too. Her time in politics has been near entirely connected to Xenophon, having become his advisor in 2006. As such, she was a stalwart with Xenophon's many attempts into politics, and has taken over the party which bears his lineage. More recently Bonaros has been at the forefront of a few issues, including pro-Palestine protests in parliament, supporting the merger of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia, and, in a bit of politics which I am sure scarred the Hansard forever, pushing for the ban of 'adult' manga and anime in Australia.
Ideologies: Centrism, SA Regionalism
Date Registered: 04/07/2017
Blurb: SA-Best remains heavily tied to the Nick Xenophon parties which came before it. It holds many of Xenophon's old policies, especially his policies around gambling reform which have become a cornerstone of the SA-Best, NXT/Centre alliance-type parties, but also has some different policies around gender equality, fisheries, and young people. Now, SA-Best probably isn't in the best place, having lost over 18% of the total vote between the 2018 and 2022 elections (thats what happens when Xenophon leaves). But one will suspect that Bonaros, whose term expires at the 2026 election, will atleast put up a fight. She will likely be highly relevant in deciding which non-major party 'independent' keeps their seat in the upcoming election, whether it be herself, Jing Lee, or others.
United Multicultural Alliance SA
Leader: Adriana Christopoulos
Adriana Christopoulos is not a name that'll be recognisable to most, and her history is not the same as most on this thread. At one point the chair of the South Australian Multicultural Commission, her website is professionally made and is entirely dedicated to one point, showing that she is dedicated to multiculturalism. There's little more to say about her, but, one must assume her experience as chair of the SAMC has gone into the creation of this party.
Ideologies: Multiculturalism
Date Registered: 07/08/2025
Blurb: This is another party where I can give essentially no information. Adriana's website contains no mention of her party nor its policies, and besides the Gazette notice of the party being registered and my posts on Bluesky about it, the party may as well not exist online. One can only assume that the party will have a pro-Multicultralism stance, but how that will look is anyone's guess.
United Voice Australia Party
Leader: Mark Aldridge
Explaining Mark Aldridge is a difficult proposition. An ex-One Nation candidate and an ex-Great Australian Party candidate, Aldridge was one of the Trumpet of Patriots' SA candidates in the 2025 Federal election but resigned from the party before the election actually occurred. He's also previously lost his gun license after making threats to shoot 'hoons'. Hopefully that explains the man, because any more in-depth and we'll be here for a very, very long time.
Ideologies: Social Conservatism/Unclear
Date Registered: 27/03/2025
Blurb: Firstly, the name is clearly designed to stop both the UAP and Australia's Voice party from registering in South Australia, which is an insanely petty move. Secondly, this party may as well be AI-generated. Its policies are impressively vague, and are designed to seem socially centre-left (well enough to the point where I was initially confused by them). But, when you realise that its Mark Aldridge leading the party, centre-left becomes the last thing you'd call the party. I'll add more here if Mark ever adds anything to his party beyond blurbs that seem like boilerplate political talk, but since the 'media releases' page has said 'coming soon' for months, I don't know if anything will change.
---------
Pending Applications
This list includes pending applications, currently awaiting ECSA approval
For Unley
Leader: Ryan Ross Harrison
The first thing you need to know about Ryan Harrison is that he had created his own Wikipedia page, and was proud of that fact (until it got taken down recently). Besides that, Harrison has been a sub-branch president for Labor for two decades and ran in the 2022 city of Unley elections, coming third. He also tried his hand at the 2022 state election, and came less than 3% of the 2PP off from beating David Pisoni for the seat of Unley. Since then though, he has stormed out of the Labor party, claiming that he wasn't pre-selected for 2026 due to 'being the wrong sex'.
Ideologies: Unley Regionalism
Date Registered: N/A
Blurb: The party, so far, only has 4 policies, which include 1) a Sports Rec centre for Unley, 2) trialling incentivised tree canopies, 3) having 'a plan' for Unley Rd, 4) upgrading primary schools. It also mentions that it fights for cost of living, land tax reform, and healthcare. In essence, it feels like a local political party that has somehow managed to find itself in state politics. Its name doesn't help, especially when you realise it's meant to be Ryan Harrison For Unley, but with the Ryan Harrison part cheekily left off the actual name. I guess its better than the other party Harrison has registered with the ABN, which is actually called The Other Party.
----------
Expected Applications
Here, you will find parties I expect to attempt registration prior to the election. This is based on many various things, including the conversations I have around the SA political scene.
SA Socialists
The South Australian branch of the Victorian Socialists, I highly expect the party to finalise its registration application prior to the end of the year. As far as I know, it has the membership numbers needed, and is currently engaging in community outreach with prospective candidates, which both suggest that an application is not far off.
Tammy Franks Independent Party
I've been hearing through the grapevine that Tammy Franks, the ex-Greens MLC who left over a variety of issues, is planning on registering her own party. Considering the existence of the Jing Lee - Better Community and Sarah Game Fair Go for Australians parties, she'd be in 'good' company, in terms of ex-party MLCs who have left and formed their own minor parties. While I cannot confirm the reality of this bid, I would not be shocked to see it occur.
