HEALTH and roads are the prominent regional issues that need addressing by whoever forms government after Saturday's state election, according to Stock Journal readers.
More than three quarters of SA State Election - Have Your Say survey participants mentioned either health services or roads when asked the question: What's the most important issue affecting rural SA you think Liberal, Labor or another Party should promise to address should they win government?
Other topics to be raised included the need for a new Pastoral Act, labour shortages, increasing levies, taxes and rates and the subsidising of already successful businesses ahead of start ups and small businesses.
Increased investment in aged care and mental health services, and addressing housing availability for workers were other issues to feature, but answers kept coming back to a theme of regional health and road concerns.
One respondent said rural road infrastructure should be at the top of the next state government's priority list, while they also needed to address rural doctor decline by providing better support and allowing GPs to have time off.
Another survey participant said SA needed sealed roads in the outback and a way to connect the South Eastern Freeway to the North-South Expressway.
"Regional SA is the engine room of the SA economy and we must have the ability to get our produce (agriculture, mining, fishing and horticulture) to the market efficiently," they said.
Another reader simply answered the top priority should be "genuine wholesale healthcare reform".
Readers gave the Marshall government a 58pc approval rating for education, 49pc for health, 48pc for regional infrastructure and development and 47pc for investment in agriculture.
About 56pc of respondents were not satisfied that legislation had got the balance right between mining and farming, while 68pc were unsatisfied with the condition of regional roads.
The government received a tick in education and fostering employment opportunities, with 79pc of respondents satisfied with their performance on education and 85pc satisfied or neutral with the level of local education, employment and training opportunities for school leavers in their area.
The Liberals came out on top in the ratings of each parties election platforms and policies, with Stock Journal readers giving them a 58pc rating ahead of Labor on 55pc, the Nationals on 50pc and The Greens on 43pc.
A slender majority believe the Liberals will hold on for another four-year stint, with 45.5pc predicting them to win on Saturday, ahead of 42.5pc for Labor and 12pc for another party.
REGIONAL CANDIDATE Q&As:
MACKILLOP: Five candidates vie for MacKillop seat
NARUNGGA: GP availability crucial in Narungga
MOUNT GAMBIER: Housing a hot button issue in Mount Gambier
CAMPAIGN WINNER CLEAR BUT ELECTION WINNER NOT, SAYS POLITICAL ANALYST
While he believes all possibilities are very much on the table for Saturday's election, Flinders University adjunct professor of politics Haydon Manning said if he was forced to put money on either party it would be Labor to form government.
However, he said people needed to be cautious about lending too much weight to opinion polls heavily favouring Labor, saying they reflected the strength of the overall campaign but had no bearing on the individual seats that needed to be held by the Liberals in order to retain government.
Dr Manning said there were two "outstanding issues" that would go a long way in deciding the outcome of the election - health and COVID disgruntlement.
"A large section of the community are clearly disgruntled with the Marshall government opening borders in November and the subsequent outbreak of Omicron. Until then, the government had scored full marks on how they'd dealt with COVID," he said.
"There are also issues about disunity within the Liberal party but putting that aside, the other clear factor has been Labor's campaign against the Marshall government over health.
"That has been best captured in them asking South Australians if they want a basketball stadium or the $662 million spent on health.
"It's a cut through negative ad and a lot of campaigning around the world is about that sort of advertisement that gets voters, and especially those who formerly voted Liberal, thinking and potentially changing their mind."
Dr Manning said the marginal suburban Liberal-held seats of Adelaide, King, Elder and Newland appeared vulnerable and would be decisive in who formed government, as would the way ex-Liberal MPs leaned.
"There is the issue of the independents and will the four key ex-Liberals win - Troy Bell in Mount Gambier, Fraser Ellis in Narungga, Dan Cregan in Kavel and Sam Duluk in Waite," he said.
"If Labor are one or two seats short of a majority government there's a couple of independents in Cregan and Bell that might support them despite being ex-Liberals.
"Labor has made big commitments in Mount Gambier and committed to building a new hospital in Mount Barker (in Kavel)."
REGIONAL CANDIDATE Q&As:
GILES: Big battle for Giles seat
MAWSON: Seven candidates vie for Mawson
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