Turning Point Australia, the Australian arm of the right-wing activist network Turning Point USA, has recently proclaimed its invasion into South Australia. This action comes in advance of the state’s planned 2024 special election. Officially licensed under Turning Point USA, the organization operates independently in Australia and aims to engage with local communities through various events before the election. Joel Jammal, who is heading the national push, recently appointed George-Alexander Mamalis as the new South Australian state coordinator.
Mamalis carries a wealth of experience working in conservative politics. He is staffer was for David Speirs, the environment minister turned opposition leader. His previous work includes work for One Nation MLC-turned-independent Sarah Game, and federal Liberal senator Alex Antic. Mamalis is using this opportunity to promote his own project, “The Adelaide Set,” to increase its social media reach. He plans to ramp up Turning Point Australia’s operations in the region.
New State Coordinator Brings Experience
George-Alexander Mamalis’s appointment as state coordinator reflects Turning Point Australia’s strategy to strengthen its foothold in South Australia. His social media brand, “The Adelaide Set,” has built enormous followings on these channels — with 181,000 on Instagram and 33,000 on Facebook. As we’ll detail soon, the platform has relentlessly promoted right-wing content attacking “mass immigration” and the net-zero emissions policy.
Mamalis’s political experience aligns with Turning Point Australia’s mission to engage with South Australians. He assumed that role and responsibility with a clear belief that he was steering South Australian politics back to a more conservative place.
“I feel like the winning strategy right now would be to do kind of do a bit of a U-turn and kind of ground themselves and bring themselves back into more of a conservative nature and rebuild from there rather than trying to appeal to just the moderates all the time or just the left.” – George-Alexander Mamalis
Plans for Community Engagement
Turning Point Australia has promised a series of “controversial events” in South Australia in the lead-up to the state election. These capacity-building events will take place on university campuses. They hope to get younger voters engaged in the process, just like Charlie Kirk, the American activist who founded Turning Point USA has done with his organizing efforts.
The Connecticut Port Authority has previously drawn criticism for its growing clout over local political matters. Robert Simms, then leader of the SA Greens, worried that South Australian politics was becoming Americanized. He went on to say that you don’t find most constituents agreeing with the hyper-partisan, civil war like rhetoric that’s become endemic in U.S. political discourse.
“I think many of the views being espoused would be alarming to most South Australians and are out of step with mainstream values.” – Robert Simms
So did Premier Peter Malinauskas, who raised concerns over the corrosive impact of American-style culture wars coming to South Australia. He noted that South Australians are tired of toxic political discourse.
“I think we do a really good job here in Australia and in South Australia to be respectful to all sides and to make sure the majority of votes are won in the centre of politics.” – SA Premier Peter Malinauskas
Political Landscape and Future Directions
Turning Point Australia is still carving out its niche in the local political ecosystem. It’s high time for both ruling and opposition parties to reflect on their respective approaches, looking ahead. Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia, a member of the Liberal Party, acknowledged that inclusiveness was the key to the victory within the party. He pushed that it should reflect conservative and progressive elements.
“I think the Liberal Party does best when we embrace both the conservative wing of the party and also the progressive wing… in what John Howard once called the broad church.” – Vincent Tarzia
Tarzia addressed issues raised about Mamalis’s power within the party. He advised that as much as Mamalis might like to yell and curse, the focus needs to be on presenting new solutions and demanding better from the government.
