SA minister Piccolo quits state cabinet

South Australian Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo has resigned from state cabinet.

Mr Piccolo approached Premier Jay Weatherill with his decision after a cabinet meeting on Monday.

He says he had time to reflect on his position over the holiday period and told the premier he was willing to step down to assist with renewal of the Labor government.

"I think this is the best decision for me at this time in public life," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"There is no greater honour than to serve the people of South Australia and I am extremely proud of what has been achieved during my time as a minister."

Mr Piccolo's move to the backbench will clear the way for new upper house MP and former union boss Peter Malinauskas to be fast-tracked into the cabinet.

Mr Malinauskas filled a casual vacancy in the Legislative Council late last year following the resignation of former Labor MP Bernard Finnigan, who was convicted on a child pornography charge.

Premier Weatherill has already indicated a cabinet reshuffle will be finalised before parliament resumes next month and without endorsing the inclusion of Mr Malinauskas said he would make an excellent minister.

"I'm sure there are a range of portfolios he could serve in," the premier said.

Mr Piccolo has served in the cabinet for three years with his portfolios also including disabilities, correctional services and road safety.

He listed negotiating the roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, major reforms to the state's gun laws and changes to parole laws as among his key achievements.

But he also failed to push through reforms to streamline the administration of the state's emergency services.

Mr Piccolo said he would continue to serve his electorate of Light, on Adelaide's northern outskirts, and intended to stand at the 2018 election.

"When my family arrived in Australia in 1963, if someone had told my late father that his three-year-old son would grow up to have the opportunity to serve as a cabinet minister, he would not have believed it," he said.