One Nation announces lead candidate for SA: what could it mean?

The South Australian election is in full swing, and former Federal Liberal senator, Cory Bernardi was announced on Tuesday as the lead candidate for One Nation in SA.

Mr Bernardi has claimed “there’s no effective opposition to government”, terming the two major parties a “uniparty..”

Also, party leader Pauline Hanson joined Bernardi and has since openly spoken about a national mega-coalition.

With just over six weeks until South Australia votes, Bernardi’s candidature has created a stir, and while Premier Peter Malinauskas remains unphased, newly appointed Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn said there’s some “concern”.

Meanwhile the Greens say there could be a risk of One Nation securing the balance of power in the Upper House.

Produced By: Emma Wotzke

Featured In Story: Robert Simms – Greens MLC , Clem Macintyre – Emeritus Professor of Politics at Adelaide University, and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 5 February 2026