Joe Szakacs

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The Honourable
Joe Szakacs
MP
Portrait of Szakacs at National War Memorial on Remembrance Day in 2025 wearing a dark suit, white suit and green tie with a small poppy in his lapel
Szakacs in 2025
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 March 2026
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byEmily Bourke
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
In office
19 September 2025 – 25 March 2026
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded bySusan Close
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Minister for Local Government
Minister for Veterans Affairs
In office
15 April 2024 – 25 March 2026
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byGeoff Brock
Succeeded byChris Picton (as Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Rhiannon Pearce (as Minister for Local Government)
Minister for Trade and Investment
In office
15 April 2024 – 25 March 2026
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byNick Champion
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services
In office
24 March 2022 – 15 April 2024
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byVincent Tarzia
Succeeded byDan Cregan
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly
for Cheltenham
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 February 2019
Preceded byJay Weatherill
Personal details
BornJoseph Karl Szakacs
Woodville South, South Australia
PartyLabor
EducationSt Michael's College
Flinders University
OccupationTrade union secretary
ProfessionLawyer

Joseph Karl Szakacs (/ˈsɒkɑːtʃ/ "SOCK-arch"[1]) is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He is a Labor Party member of the South Australian House of Assembly, representing the electoral district of Cheltenham since the 2019 by-election.

Szakacs has served as the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the second Malinauskas ministry since March 2026.

Early life and education

Joseph Karl Szakacs was born in Adelaide to a Hungarian father and Australian mother. He attended St Michael's College, Adelaide. In his teens, Szakacs was a competitive swimmer, holding the state 50m freestyle title and representing Australia at the 2002–03 FINA Swimming World Cup. He won swimming scholarships to the South Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Missouri, then returned to Australia to study law at Flinders University.[2]

Career

Early career

Introduced to the trade union movement by his father, a waterside worker in Port Adelaide, Szakacs worked as a volunteer lawyer at the Young Workers Legal Service, then as an industrial officer with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and later the United Firefighters Union South Australia.[3] In October 2013, he was elected as state secretary of SA Unions.

Political career

Szakacs was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly in the by-election for the seat of Cheltenham on 9 February 2019, replacing former premier Jay Weatherill.[4]

After Labor won the 2022 state election, Szakacs was appointed as the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services in the first Malinauskas ministry.[5]

In a Cabinet reshuffle on 19 September 2025, Szakacs retained his roles as Minister for Trade and Investment; Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; Minister for Local Government; and Minister for Veterans Affairs.[6]

Following the Labor landslide victory at the 2026 election, Szakacs was appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the second Malinauskas ministry.

References

  1. Szakacs, Joe (13 February 2022). "A few years back, I made a fun little video helper for the most common question I get: how do you pronounce Szakacs!? How have you been fairing? 😝". Facebook. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. "Young, fresh faces taking over South Australia's unions". The Advertiser. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  3. Green, Antony. "Cheltenham by-election". ABC Elections. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  4. Keane, Daniel (9 February 2019). "Labor claiming victory in Cheltenham and Enfield by-elections after resignations". ABC News. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  5. "Hon Joseph (Joe) Karl Szakacs". Members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. Malinauskas, Peter (19 September 2025). "Record number of women in new Ministry". Premier of South Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2025.