Why South Australia's state election favourite isn't a sure thing
While the result may look predictable on paper, the dynamics shaping this election are anything but simple,
Gus Macdonald
Gus Macdonald is a State Political Reporter at 9News Adelaide.
Gus Macdonald is a State Political Reporter with 9News Adelaide.
He grew up in the country New South Wales town of Wallabadah, before attending school in Sydney and beginning his journalism career with Sky News Australia.
In 2023, Gus moved to Adelaide to join Nine, where he has covered a wide range of major stories including the Plympton real estate stabbing, the Barrier Highway train crash, Gather Round, LIV Golf, and Port Adelaide’s finals campaign.
He also led Nine’s award-winning rolling coverage of the Marion Shopping Centre lockdown, with the network breaking into programming for a special broadcast as the situation unfolded.
At the beginning of 2025, Gus took on the state politics round, breaking key stories on the Whyalla Steelworks takeover, the 2025 State Budget, the emergence of new political parties in South Australia, and tensions between the Government and unions over pay negotiations.
In 2025, he was named Best Young Journalist of the Year by the South Australian Press Club, with judges describing him as “a standout in a tight field of high-quality entries for his unwavering commitment to excellence”.
Outside of Nine, Gus is a regular contributor to South Australian radio and a sports commentator, most notably calling the Shute Shield for Stan Sport.
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