SA Liberals cut ties with Narungga MP Fraser Ellis

An embattled former Liberal MP is officially on a collision course with his old party after it called for candidates to challenge for his Yorke Peninsula seat.

The Liberal Party has cut ties with its former Narungga MP Fraser Ellis after opting to run another candidate against the embattled crossbencher.

Liberal Party state director Sascha Meldrum confirmed the move on Tuesday.

“State Executive has agreed to open nominations for Narungga, closing at noon on Monday 24 January,” she said.

Ms Meldrum did not elaborate on why the decision was made to cut Mr Ellis loose.

Mr Ellis told The Advertiser he was advised on Monday evening that he would not be brought back into the Liberal fold to run as its candidate at the March state election.

He said he would instead seek re-election as an independent, saying he continued to enjoy “strong support” from the local Liberal branch.

Former Liberal MP Fraser Ellis. Picture: David Mariuz

Mr Ellis said he believed he had achieved a lot in his electorate and he hoped constituents would back him at the polls.

“I’ve done my very best over the past four years and always put the community first,” he

Mr Ellis had represented the Yorke Peninsula-based seat of Narungga for the Liberals since the 2018 state election, however, he resigned from the party in February 2021 after being charged with allegedly rorting the country members accommodation allowance scheme.

His decision to become an independent plunged the government into minority.

Mr Ellis told state parliament at the time that he was charged following an ICAC investigation and declared he was “completely innocent” and would be vigorously defending the allegations.

His trial on deception charges was delayed until June this year, after the March state election.

In October, Mr Ellis asked the Liberal Party to endorse him as their candidate, saying he must be presumed innocent.

Prior to resigning from the party, he had been the Liberal’s endorsed Narungga candidate.