Rory McClaren
Adelaide, SA
Rory McClaren is a state political reporter with ABC News South Australia. He has covered politics full time at state and federal level since 2015, including stints in Canberra. He joined ABC News in 2021 after working for multiple commercial broadcast and print media organisations. He tweets at @Rory_McClaren
Latest by Rory McClaren
Energy giant accused of breaches after lead exposure during power plant decommissioning
Sean Gibbons says he started experiencing fatigue, stomach upsets, pins and needles in his legs, and insomnia after helping decommission AGL's Torrens Island power plant. A blood test revealed he had lead levels three times higher than recommended.
Analysis
analysis:All big policy changes take time. But does the South Australian premier have enough?
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has always been a politician in a hurry. But now he's calling for time and patience from the public to deliver his platform.
Analysis
analysis:There may not be teals, but could Green votes decide this former premier's successor?
Voters in Adelaide's inner east will return to the polls after former South Australian premier Steven Marshall announced his intention to resign from parliament. A rising Green vote in the area could decide who wins the seat.
Steven Marshall led the SA Liberals out of the political wilderness, but his government lasted just one term
Former SA premier Steven Marshall broke a painful 20-year election drought for the Liberals. But his government was ousted after a term, following controversies and a tough health focused election campaign from Labor.
Analysis
analysis:The biggest political hurdles the SA government will face in 2024
The South Australian government has made progress ticking off hundreds of commitments made to taxpayers before the March 2022 election. But it still has a long way to go on key areas like health, integrity and cost-of-living, writes Stephanie Richards and Rory McClaren.
Former Oakden nursing manager who 'ought to have known' about 'appalling abuse' of patients hit with 10-year ban
Julie Harrison worked in a number of roles at Oakden's Older Persons Mental Health facility, which shut in 2017 following a report by the state's chief psychiatrist that uncovered abuse and neglect dating back 10 years.
Four projects and more than $780 million: Why SA water bills could get more expensive
South Australia's water corporation has proposed bill increases to fund four projects, and the rest of the water network, over the next four years. So what are the projects?
SA Water seeks to increase water bills 3.5 per cent above inflation in latest business plan
The corporation says the increases could equal a $71 a year increase over the next four years, but are required to maintain service standards and meet its expenditure requirements.
Green energy giant gifts ‘hidden gem’ for national park as transition worries pile up
As green energy players are going to greater lengths in a bid to secure support, the French company behind South Australia's massive Goyder renewables project has handed over the nearby Worlds End Gorge as a new SA national park.
Dozens seek compensation over major cochlear implant bungle at children's hospital
More than 120 families whose children were caught up in the cochlear implant bungle at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital have sought payments from the South Australian government.
Adelaide's university merger backed by state opposition, with promises of more Flinders funding
The opposition said the merger was "too big to fail", but also flagged their own commitments should they form government after the 2026 state election.
Will government intervention get Travis out of a frosty caravan and into a home?
The South Australian government has announced funding for housing, firefighting and mobile coverage in the south-east.
Universities of Adelaide and South Australia will merge after government secures enough support to pass legislation
The government says the new institution is set to become the largest educator of domestic students in the country
Analysis
analysis:SA auditor-general wants better access to cabinet submissions to scrutinise projects. Will he get his way?
An independent financial watchdog wants laws changed so they can have better access to SA cabinet submissions, amid concerns approvals for billions of dollars in government spending can't be reviewed. State political reporter Rory McClaren explains.
SA government's $90 million plan to move police horses revealed, as police union slams cost
The police union has slammed the proposed cost of the move as well as the location, with its president saying the money "should be used in far better ways".
Doctor 'double dipping' difficult to detect and potentially unchecked, report warns
A report into the potential for corruption in South Australia's public health system details allegations of clinicians failing to work contracted hours, improperly claiming payment, and dedicating time intended for public duties to private patients.
Could a 'toothless' anti-corruption tiger get back some of its teeth?
SA's corruption watchdog is no stranger to criticism. It's even been labelled the worst model in Australia by a national anti-corruption watchdog. But as Rory McClaren explains, changes recommended by an independent overseer could restore some of its power.
South Australian teachers vote to strike next Friday over 'insulting' state government offer
South Australia's public school teachers have voted in favour of taking a one day strike next Friday, amid an ongoing pay and conditions dispute, with the Education Department urging parents to consider their child care options.
The unis might be in unison, but is the SA merger deal a unicorn?
While the merger of UniSA and the University of Adelaide is being spruiked by the SA government as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the state and its education sector, it is far from a fait accompli.
'Someone will be hurt': Urgent inspections amid safety concerns at SA Health clinic
Reports of mould, asbestos and bug infestations have prompted a SafeWork SA review of Adelaide's Pregnancy Advisory Centre.
Analysis
analysis:The factional feud prompting claims the SA Liberals are 'at war with themselves'
While the SA Liberals have publicly rubbished comments from Labor claiming they 'are at war with themselves', in private some party moderates are concerned about what's going on, writes Rory McClaren.
'It burns you forever': A mother's near two-decade push for industrial manslaughter law reform after son's death
A bill is being introduced to South Australia's parliament that would make industrial manslaughter a criminal offence, after years of lobbying by one mother who lost her son in a workplace incident in 2004.
South Australian MP quits Liberal Party over 'dark forces' and factionalism
South East MP Nick McBride has left the Liberal Party, claiming "dark forces" in party factions created an environment of "disunity" and backstabbing.
'Significant institutional failure' by SA's ICAC, but investigation into top bureaucrat's travel still 'justified'
There was "sufficient evidence" to justify an investigation into former Renewal SA boss John Hanlon's interstate and international travels, but South Australia's anti-corruption watchdog "substantially mismanaged" parts of its inquiries, a review finds.
Child protection authorities failed to investigate dozens of red flags in 'tragic reality', report finds
South Australia's Department for Child Protection failed to ensure the protection of children was its "paramount consideration" when dealing with more than 90 notifications about two families, the state's ombudsman finds.