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