South Australian Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia reveals his shadow cabinet

Newly installed Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia has revealed his frontbench line-up – and there’s one shock omission. See the full list of portfolios.

Former Liberal leader David Speirs has been dumped from the frontbench line-up by his newly installed replacement Vincent Tarzia, intensifying the stand-off between the pair.

In another major move, former Paralympic champion Matt Cowdrey has been axed from shadow treasury and replaced by Eyre Peninsula farmer Sam Telfer, a former Local Government Association president.

Mount Gambier-based upper house member Ben Hood and Bragg MP Jack Batty have been added to the shadow cabinet, in wins for their Right and Moderate factions respectively.

David Speirs has been dumped from the frontbench line-up by his newly-installed replacement Vincent Tarzia. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

Health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn, widely considered a future leader, will remain in health when she returns in November from maternity leave from her frontbench role.

Mr Cowdrey, Australia’s most successful Paralympian, will take the sports and environment portfolios. Mr Batty becomes chief parliamentary tactician, with portfolios including police and future economy, while Mr Hood will oppose Tom Koutsantonis in infrastructure and transport.

Former Dunstan Liberal candidate Anna Finizio will be appointed Mr Tarzia’s director of stakeholder and policy engagement.

Mr Tarzia said he would talk with Mr Speirs about his future in the party in about three weeks’ time, when he returned from a relative’s wedding in Scotland, but appeared to rule out offering him a shadow ministry.

“David Speirs made it really clear to me that he wanted to take some time out and he’s done that and he’s doing that and to the best of my knowledge he’s still overseas at the moment. And I think it’s important that he has that reset and that recharge,” Mr Tarzia said.

“When David is back in a number of weeks, I’m more than happy and willing to sit down with David Speirs, but not at the moment.”

Asked if he intended to have a shadow ministerial reshuffle when Mr Speirs returned in three weeks, Mr Tarzia said: “That’s certainly not my intention.”

Mr Tarzia did not directly respond when asked if he had offered Mr Speirs a frontbench position or whether the former leader had asked for a shadow ministry.

“I know he’s overseas for a number of weeks – when he comes back, I’d be more than happy to talk with David as well,” he said.

“And of course, at the same time acknowledging, that as a former leader of our party, I certainly want to honour his legacy in a whole range of areas.”

Mr Tarzia spoke with Mr Speirs on Thursday, when the new leader said he told his predecessor he wanted him to remain in the Liberal family.

Mr Tarzia is pitching the reshuffle as focusing on the impact of surging living costs – he has appointed Heidi Girolamo to a newly established cost of living portfolio.

But some senior Liberals had been urging him to appoint Mr Speirs to a prominent frontbench role, in recognition of his status as a former leader.

Mr Speirs, who has said he is attending a relative’s wedding in Scotland, resigned from the leadership saying he’d “had a gutful” of being undermined and lacked the energy to fight on.

He has left open the prospect of standing as an independent in his southwestern Adelaide seat of Black, by not responding to questions about whether he intends to be the Liberal candidate at the 2026 election or whether he supports Mr Tarzia’s leadership.

A day after quitting the leadership on August 8, Mr Speirs said it would be “difficult to remain in the Liberal Party” if the “two or three” people who undermined his leadership were rewarded in a new regime.

Mr Tarzia on Sunday said he had been “working closely with all my colleagues to make sure we have the right people in right positions across our shadow cabinet’’.

He replaced Mr Speirs on August 12, defeating Josh Teague at a Liberal Party room ballot by 18 votes to four.