Speaker Dan Cregan’s staffer Airlie Keen to stand as independent in Hammond against Adrian Pederick

A key Dan Cregan staffer and Murray Bridge councillor is set to create a new headache for the Liberals as she declares she’ll try to unseat a veteran country MP at the election.

Liberal turncoat Dan Cregan’s key staffer will stand as an independent in a neighbouring blue-ribbon seat, against the MP who branded his defection “a dog act”.

In another headache for the Liberals, Murray Bridge councillor Airlie Keen will take on veteran backbencher Adrian Pederick in Hammond, just east of Mr Cregan’s Adelaide Hills seat of Kavel.

Both Mr Cregan and Ms Keen argue they will not run on the same ticket and arrived separately at their decisions to stand as independents, despite them working together in his Mount Barker electorate office since his election in 2018.

Hammond independent candidate Airlie Keen at Sturt Reserve, in Murray Bridge. Picture: Michael Marschall

Liberal Member for Hammond Adrian Pederick. Picture: Matt Loxton

But her unexpected defection from the party she has served for almost 30 years will force the Liberals to commit more resources to a safe seat at next March’s state election.

Mr Cregan seized the parliamentary Speakership in a midnight coup on October 12 – four days after defecting from the Liberals, which Mr Pederick declared “the biggest dog act” he had seen.

Ms Keen has worked in the Kavel electorate office since 1994, when the seat was held by Liberal Party federal president and former premier John Olsen.

She has been considered Mr Cregan’s key lieutenant for dealing with the community, particularly during recovery from last year’s devastating bushfires.

“Hammond is an ultra-safe seat that has always been overlooked by the government. I’m standing to bring real competition to the seat,” she said.

“Independents have a record of success in securing more funding for their communities.”

Ironically, Mr Pederick’s predecessor in Hammond was the late former Liberal-turned-independent Peter Lewis, who in 2002 ushered in 16 years of Labor rule by installing Mike Rann as premier in return for becoming speaker.

Mr Cregan said: “Airlie is one of the hardest-working, thoughtful and effective people I have known in politics. She truly has the interests of her community at heart.”

Independent MP Dan Cregan in his new role as Speaker during question time. Picture Naomi Jellicoe/Newswire

Ms Keen, who lives at Callington, is a former FIFA assistant referee who umpired international football games, including the third-place match between the US and Canada at the 2003 Women’s World Cup.

She echoed Mr Cregan’s pitch as an independent for more infrastructure spending, pushing an agenda including a better and more affordable bus service to Adelaide, Swanport Bridge duplication and a fully-funded, 24-hour doctor service in Strathalbyn.

Reinforcing an informal pact between Mr Cregan and Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie, Ms Keen said the latter had demonstrated “independents can leverage significantly more funding into their electorates” and praised the duo’s “close connection and engagement with their communities”.

At the 2018 state election that propelled the Liberals to power, Mr Pederick won 52 per cent of first-preference votes, easily fending off a challenge from SA-Best’s Kelly Gladigau, who secured 22.7 per cent.

Hammond stretches east from Callington and Murray Bridge to SA’s border with Victoria, near Pinnaroo, and includes Cambrai, Langhorne Creek, Tailem Bend and Karoonda.