South Australian Premier under fire for saying immigrants are needed to ‘wipe bums’

   February 20, 2026  Leave a Comment on South Australian Premier under fire for saying immigrants are needed to ‘wipe bums’  Posted in Imported News, Noticer News

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has been criticised from across the political spectrum for saying the state needs immigrants to “wipe bums” in aged care.

The pro-multiculturalism and pro-mass immigration Labor leader made the comments at Council for Economic Development of Australia event in Adelaide when asked how he could “win the day on immigration” amid the rise of One Nation ahead of the state election next month.

“My message to One Nation voters is, ‘who’s going to feed you, and bathe you, and wipe your bum when you’re 90?’” he told the forum.

“Because it ain’t going to be your kids. Because if I get my way, they’re going to be working on submarines with high-paying jobs so they can afford to own their home. That has to be built by someone. And who is going to do that work?”

The comments sparked backlash from One Nation, the Greens, and everyday Australians who accused him of advocating for the mass important of a “slave underclass”.

One Nation’s lead upper house candidate, new recruit and former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, said the comments were a “disservice to carers”, and that “caring for the elderly is one of the most meaningful employment careers that anyone can have”.

“The simple fact is he thinks it’s okay to bring workers in to do a role that he thinks is beneath ordinary Australians,” he said.

Greens MLC Rob Simms also called the comments “offensive” and “insulting.

“The suggestion that the only benefit of migration to South Australia is people coming over to do work that no-one wants to do – and that seemed to be the tenor of the premier’s comments – I thought was insulting,” he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

“For the elite left, new migrants have two functions. To act as a low cost underclass to work as their servants – and to pump up the Labor vote,” wrote former Liberal MP Craig Kelly on Friday.

“If that’s what immigration is for then it should be a guest worker program, not for citizenship,” said entrepreneur Matt Barrie in response to a video of the clip posted by centre-right commentator Drew Pavlou.

“’But who’s going to pick the cotton?”’ We’ve heard this ridiculous argument time and time again. Pay Australians a decent wage. Isn’t Labor supposed to be the party of the worker?” wrote the British Australian Community on X.

But a government spokesperson told ABC News the comments had been “miscategorised by Mr Malinauskas’ critics.

“Neither Mr Simms nor Mr Bernardi were present to hear the premier’s remarks made during an in-depth discussion of the state’s economic future, in which the premier made a detailed case for a thoughtful, considered conversation about skilled migration,” the spokesperson said.

In November Mr Malinauskas faced similar criticism for defending multiculturalism otherwise the food would be “so boring”.

Labor is polling at 44% ahead of the March 21 state election, with One Nation currently in second place on 24% and the Liberals facing electoral wipe-out.

Header image: Peter Malinauskas at the event (X).

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