Steven Marshall, Nick Xenophon take stage at Property Council election debate as Jay Weatherill stays away

THERE’LL be no more “Mr Nice Marshall” in this election campaign, if the Liberal leader’s performance at the latest leaders debate is a sign of things to come.

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THERE’LL be no more “Mr Nice Marshall” in this election campaign, if the Liberal leader’s performance at the latest leaders debate is a sign of things to come.

Steven Marshall spent Friday afternoon ripping into SA Best Leader Nick Xenophon - in the absence of Premer Jay Weatherill, who was a no-show at the event.

A fired up Mr Marshall appeared eager to counter critics who say he doesn’t have enough fight in him to wrest power from Labor next month.

It was Mr Weatherill who popped the so-called “angry pills” when the three men met at their first major debate earlier in the month.

He labelled the Liberals “hopeless” and led a pointedly personal attack on Mr Xenophon, whom he argued had not been “subject to the scrutiny you deserve”.

Independent candidate for Cheltenham Vince Scali poses for a photograph with a cut out of Premier Jay Weatherill. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

On Friday, as an empty chair marked Mr Weatherill’s glaring absence at the latest event organised by the Property Council, Mr Marshall stepped up his attack on the third force in this increasingly nasty election campaign.

The stage was set for a tense exchange after Mr Xenophon launched legal action on Wednesday over comments Mr Marshall made earlier in the week that he had “done a deal” to help Labor retain power. “I don’t want to upset him in case I get another cause notice,” Mr Marshall quipped.

Later, he questioned Mr Xenophon’s budgeting ability, snapping: “I’m sorry if that’s a bit complicated for you” after an explanation on the GST.

The barb followed a funding blunder in which Mr Xenophon underestimated the state’s overall health budget by more than $2 billion.

SA Best leader Nick Xenophon. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

SA Opposition Leader Steven Marshall. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

In contrast, when the pair were focused on policies they found much to agree on.

Both men highlighted boosting population growth and lowering land tax as key policies in front of an audience of about 200 business leaders at the Convention Centre.

Mr Xenophon said SA’s land tax rate must fall “in no longer than five years” from 3.7 per cent to 1.9 per cent.

“That will cost revenue. It can only be done in the context of an overall plan to grow the economic pie,” he said.

“The best way to do that is to grow the state’s population,” which he added should rise to growth “in the order of 1.4 per cent” a year.

Mr Marshall also listed the brain drain of young people interstate as a key problem to address and flagged his party would soon release a new land tax reduction policy.

Thanks to a cheeky, almost Xenophon-esque stunt by independent election candidate Vince Scali, Mr Weatherill was present at the debate in spirit.

Mr Scali, who is contesting the Premier’s electorate, brought a digitally-altered cardboard cut out of his opponent to the event, which appeared to compare him to Pinocchio.