Black by-election date to replace David Speirs set for Saturday, November 16

The race to fill former Liberal leader David Speirs’ seat is officially on, with the date voters will head to the polls announced.

Voters will go to the polls to replace former Liberal leader David Speirs in the southwestern Adelaide seat of Black the day after he faces court on drugs charges for the first time.

The by-election date has been set for Saturday, November 16, by Speaker Leon Bignell, who announced the timings on Wednesday morning.

This followed Mr Speirs formally ending his political career in a letter to Mr Bignell on Tuesday afternoon

Mr Bignell triggered the by-election campaign by issuing the writs on Wednesday morning, ahead of rolls closing on October 28 and candidate nominations closing on November 1.

The November 16 poll date is a day after Mr Speirs’ first appearance date of November 15 at Christies Beach Magistrates Court. He has vowed he will fight to clear his name of all allegations.

Former South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs in a social media announcement on October 5 that he would quit parliament. Picture: Facebook/Supplied.

Mr Speirs was arrested at Berri on September 26 and has been charged with two counts of supplying a controlled substance between August 2 and 3 and on August 9.

It came after The Advertiser in September published a video of Mr Speirs appearing to snort a white powder off the kitchen bench of his Kingston Park home.

Holdfast Bay mayor and Black Liberal candidate Amanda Wilson with Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club on October 12. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Both the Liberal and Labor parties have already announced candidates for the by-election.

They are Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson (Liberal) and senior Sacred Heart College teacher Alex Dighton (ALP), who ran against Mr Speirs in 2022.

At that poll, Mr Speirs won with 52.7 per cent of the two-party preferred count, or by 1302 votes.

Ms Wilson, who joined the Liberal Party on Friday, said she briefly was a Greens member almost 20 years ago and claimed Premier Peter Malinauskas asked her to run in neighbouring Gibson in 2022.

Mr Dighton, who on October 8 was announced as Labor’s candidate, has been a Sacred Heart teacher for about 15 years, holding various leadership roles, including acting deputy principal.