Premier Steven Marshall hit by shock defection of Liberal MP Dan Cregan to crossbench

Premier Steven Marshall’s government has been rocked by the defection of a Liberal MP in a blue-ribbon Adelaide Hills seat.

Premier Steven Marshall’s Liberal government will be plunged further into minority just months ahead of an election by the shock defection of first-term backbencher Dan Cregan, who will contest his blue-ribbon Adelaide Hills seat as an independent.

Mr Cregan told the Premier and Liberal officials late on Friday afternoon of his immediate move to the crossbench, swelling its ranks to six, including four former Liberal MPs, and leaving the Liberals with 22 seats, just three more than Labor.

Decrying the state’s failure to plan for “the massive population growth in the Hills”, Mr Cregan said his decision to quit the Liberals was about “integrity as a local member” and “not a vote against the government”.

It is understood Mr Cregan will demand at least a two-car ambulance station for Mt Barker in return for guaranteeing confidence and supply, although overthrowing the government is highly unlikely.

It is likely Mr Cregan will forge an informal political alliance with Centre Alliance Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie, a former Liberal Party member whose federal electorate also includes the Adelaide Hills.

Rebekha Sharkie and Dan Cregan at Mt Barker's regional sports hub. Picture: Supplied

Mr Marshall said Mr Cregan’s decision was “a matter for him” and he looked forward to the Liberals preselecting a candidate and “working with them to deliver what matters for the people of Kavel”.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said the Liberal government was falling apart as successive Liberals joined the crossbench because the Premier could not run his own party.

Mr Cregan told The Advertiser his considered objective was to seek the balance of power after the March 19 state election and negotiate for significant local investment in his Kavel seat, which includes Hahndorf, Mt Barker, Woodside and Nairne.

“We need a new district hospital, a new ambulance station, further investment in education and a commitment to public transport, ideally to rail,” he said.

“A senior government adviser told me: ‘You’re a safe seat, you won’t get the investment you’re asking for right now’.”

Mr Cregan, 37, was a rising star in the Liberals’ fractured conservative wing and had been considered a potential future minister, having in September overturned his July announcement that he would quit politics at the next election.

His defection raises the prospect of more MPs walking from the Liberals, including former party state president and Davenport MP Steve Murray, who The Advertiser on September 15 revealed was said to have, along with Mr Cregan, serious, unresolved differences with Mr Marshall’s leadership.

But Mr Cregan said he hoped, as an independent MP, to “maintain a positive relationship with the Premier” and Mr Malinauskas.

Mr Cregan, Mr Murray and two other Liberal backbenchers crossed the floor in late 2018 and in mid-2019 over mining reforms.

MPs Fraser Ellis (back left), Nick McBride (back right(, Steve Murray (second from right) and Dan Cregan (second from left), cross the floor in July, 2019. Pictured with MPs Troy Bell (front left) and Geoff Brock (right). Picture: Tom Huntley

Mr Cregan’s Kavel electorate has been held since its inception in 1970 by Liberals including federal president and former premier John Olsen.

This means Mr Cregan would be unlikely, if returned as an independent, to back Labor into power in the event of a close election.

The Liberals sank into minority government in February after Narungga MP Fraser Ellis told parliament in an early morning session that he had been charged with allegedly rorting the country MPs travel allowance and would become an independent.

Mr Ellis’s decision to suspend his Liberal membership and move to the crossbench forced the government to deal with independent MPs to pass legislation.

Joining Mr Cregan and Mr Ellis on the crossbench when parliament resumes on Tuesday will be two other former Liberals – Sam Duluk and Troy Bell – along with former Labor MP Frances Bedford and former Port Pirie Mayor Geoff Brock.

ANALYSIS: More defections are possible

By Paul Starick

The countdown to the next election just became more chaotic for Premier Steven Marshall’s Liberals.

This will intensify on Tuesday, when parliament resumes for the first of just nine sitting days remaining until the March 19 election.

The next five months were already littered with political potholes for the Premier, primarily because the state’s barriers against Covid-19 will be either breached or gradually lifted.

This will remain the government’s major test but Kavel MP Dan Cregan’s defection to the crossbench presents significant challenges.

The most pressing is navigating the final parliamentary sittings, particularly if Labor combines with the crossbench to unleash significant unrest or impose major hurdles to legislation.

It is highly unlikely that Mr Cregan’s move will result in the government toppling but Labor and the enlarged crossbench might vote to add sitting days to parliament’s schedule.

There is a prospect of more Liberal defections, particularly among marginalised conservatives. The Advertiser in July revealed rebel conservative Liberals were considering launching a breakaway party. On September 15, we revealed the Liberals faced the prospect of up to three backbenchers defecting to the crossbench: Mr Cregan, Davenport MP Steve Murray and MacKillop MP Nick McBride. The latter, as expected, returned to the fold.

The likely political alliance between Mr Cregan and Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie is intriguing, given her community support has helped foil repeated Liberal attempts to oust her or return her to the party.

The Liberals must now unexpectedly select a Kavel candidate, plus either deploy resources for a campaign or gamble on Mr Cregan’s likely support if he is re-elected.

It is a headache that Mr Marshall did not need with little more than 160 days until the next election.