Australia and the World Past and Present

South Australia has often been seen as Australia’s laboratory for progressive social experiments. That reputation stems from several structural and historical factors.

The state had a founding model different to other early states. It was not set up as a convict colony.

Unlike New South Wales or Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), South Australia was founded in 1836 as a planned free-settler colony.

Consequently, there was less class division than in Sydney or Hobart. There was a strong emphasis on property ownership. Civic culture was built around voluntary association and reform. This produced a comparatively cohesive and reform-minded political culture early on in the state’s history.

There was a strong nonconformist and dissenting Protestant influence. Many early settlers were Methodists, Congregationalists and other Nonconformists from Britain.

These groups often valued education, encouraged civic participation and supported reformist causes such as temperance, women’s rights, and social welfare. This moral reform tradition fed into later progressive legislation.

South Australia frequently moved early. It was among the first colonies to adopt the secret ballot.

There was an early extension of male suffrage.

In 1894, South Australia became the first Australian colony to grant women the right to vote and the first in the world to allow women to stand for parliament.

Compared to Victoria or New South Wales, South Australia has a smaller population and a more centralised urban structure. The city of Adelaide dominates the state. South Australia has a population of around 1.89 million, based on 2024 ABS statistics. There are around 1.47 million in the Greater Adelaide area. The second largest city in the state is Mount Gambier, trailing far behind with around 27,000 (2021 census).

So, Adelaide makes up around 78% of the state’s population. South Australia is a city with a state.

When you compare it with a state like Victoria, you can see how much Adelaide dominates the state. In Victoria there are 3 locations outside of Melbourne with more than 100,000 people. Geelong has around 280,000. Bendigo comes next with about 120,000 and then there is Ballarat with some 115,000.

Political coordination in South Australia may be achieved easier than in other states.

South Australia had a reformist political culture in the 20th century. The long Labor dominance during the Don Dunstan era was pivotal. He served as Premier between 1967 and 1968, and then from 1970 to 1979. His government decriminalised homosexuality in 1975. It introduced anti-discrimination legislation and Aboriginal land rights reform. It also brought in consumer protection laws. During this period, South Australia was widely regarded as the most socially progressive state in the country.

South Australia lacked massive mining wealth (like WA), financial dominance (like NSW) and large manufacturing scale (like Victoria).

This often forced the South Australian government to compete via policy innovation. The state was branded as culturally progressive and reform-oriented.

Over time, South Australians came to see that they had a progressive history and many were motivated to maintain that self-perception. MPs and civic leaders felt either pressure or pride to continue on the same trajectory. Political leaders leaned into that identity.

South Australia’s progressive reputation stems from its planned free-settler origins, a strong dissenting Protestant culture and early democratic reforms. There was also the state’s manageable political scale, the Dunstan era’s policies and a self-conscious civic identity built around reform.