South Australia By May 1893, O'Malley was living in Adelaide, South Australia. During that year's banking crisis, the South Australian Register published a number of letters from him on financial matters. He continued to sell life insurance, excelling at self-promotion. As a publicity stunt, in April 1894 he announced his candidacy for a by-election in the seat of East Torrens, but never formally nominated. In January 1896, the Register reported that O'Malley would be a candidate for the seat of Encounter Bay at the upcoming general election. Encounter Bay was a rural seat electing two MPs to the House of Assembly. Although not a resident of the electorate, O'Malley was "apparently a frequent visitor to the area [...] popular with various people in Goolwa and Victor Harbor". He stood as an independent, surprising observers by topping the poll ahead of William Carpenter of the United Labor Party (ULP), sitting MP Henry Downer of the Australasian National League, and former MP Charles Hussey. He enjoyed strong support among the newly enfranchised female voters, who were sympathetic to his pro-temperance views. At the opening of parliament in June 1896, O'Malley and seven others refused to take an oath of office and were refused their seats. They were eventually allowed to make affirmations and take their place. After his election O'Malley took up residence in a coffee palace on Hindley Street, Adelaide, although he made frequent visits to his electorate. In Parliament, he concentrated on social matters, starting with a proposal to regulate barmaids, the use of which he regarded as a social evil. His attempt to amend a government liquor licensing bill to that end was unsuccessful. O'Malley next introduced a bill requiring seats to be provided for shop assistants, which also failed, followed by a successful motion calling for train carriages to be provided with lavatories and better lighting. A private member's bill he introduced in 1897 eventually passed as the Legitimation Act 1898, allowing for the legitimation of children born out of wedlock whose parents subsequently married. By this time, O'Malley had aligned himself with the government of Charles Kingston, declaring himself "on the side of the ministry" and calling Kingston "the greatest democratic leader this country had ever known". He strongly supported federation and in a series of parliamentary speeches championed the U.S. constitution as a model for Australia. However, little notice was taken of his views. O'Malley was