The South Australian election will be held on March 17 - the same day as the federal byelection in Batman.

In SA Labor is pitching for a fifth term, with former senator Nick Xenophon’s SA-Best party injecting a high element of unpredictability into the result.

Jobs and power prices are to the fore in voters’ minds while the gambling industry is investing heavily to try to fend off the “X factor”.

The Conversation spent two days in Adelaide; we interviewed Dean Jaensch, emeritus professor in politics from Flinders University, Carol Johnson, politics professor at the University of Adelaide, Premier Jay Weatherill, Nick Xenophon, and South Australian federal Liberal cabinet minister Christopher Pyne.

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.