SA Labor defector Ryan Harrison hits back at Malinauskas and reveals plans to launch For Unley party
The former high-profile branch member who sensationally quit SA Labor this week has fired back at the Premier and plans to see his old at the State Election ballot box.
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A high-profile Labor defector has hit back at Premier Peter Malinauskas delivering a harsh response over his accusations of “centralised control”.
It comes after the Premier said the former high-profile branch member had been “desperate” to become a Labor candidate just months before his public split.
Long-time Unley branch member and former Labor candidate Ryan Harrison is currently registering a new “community-based political movement called For Unley” after he sensationally quit this week.
Mr Harrison claimed the Labor party has shifted from being a grassroots party to one with “centralised control” and made the decision to break ties, despite his father Mark Harrison also being a member who ran in the 1970 state election.
He today rejected Mr Malinauskas’ claim that the decision was sour grapes over the Premier’s ringing endorsement of lawyer Alice Rolls being the best candidate for Unley.
Mr Harrison wanted to run for the seat on a four-point plan for Unley including obtaining a new local recreation centre, supporting greener suburbs, reviving Unley Road and fixing issues at local primary schools.
“When my father ran for Torrens in 1970, and even when I first became sub-branch president, local members had real influence,” Mr Harrison, a four-generation local raising his own kids in the area, said.
“Today, decision-making sits with a few powerbrokers – many of whom aren’t even elected representatives. That shift has alienated good people and undermined democratic principles.”
Unley residents wanted “representation that reflects them – not a political machine”, Mr Harrison said.
“Healthy democracy requires competition of ideas, not coronations.”
Mr Malinauskas said Mr Harrison “was desperate to be a Labor candidate only a couple of weeks ago, and he withdrew from that preselection contest, presumably, because he thought he was going to lose”.
“You know, in democracy, whenever you have a democratic ballot for one position, someone’s going to lose, and the losers undoubtedly really disappointed, and we see that here with Ryan,” he said.
His comments were made at the North Adelaide Golf Course where the state government has controversially taken control of the city parklands from the Adelaide City Council.
Lawyer and State Theatre Company board member Ms Rolls has been preselected for the Unley seat where Mr Harrison won an 8.8 per cent swing at the last election.
Liberal David Pisoni is the sitting member.
“I guess my obligation and the Labor Party’s obligation is to deliver the best candidate for the seat of Unley, and we’ve got that in Alice Rolls, and that’s obviously difficult for Ryan to take because he worked really hard at the 2022 election,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“But working hard in an election is what everybody does. It doesn’t entitle you to be guaranteed a seat or a pre-election in the future.”
Mr Malinauskas said Ms Rolls win was not a captain’s pick and that she was “an exceptional candidate”.
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