Ex-Liberal Dan Cregan wins Adelaide Hills seat of Kavel
In one of the most controversial races in the state, the Liberals have lost an Adelaide Hills stronghold to turncoat independent Dan Cregan.
State Election
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The three main candidates for the seat of Kavel made similar promises for the Adelaide Hills electorate.
Increasing ambulance staff, upgrading Mount Barker Hospital and tackling critical transport and education issues were high on the agenda for all of them.
But not long after voting closed, it was clearly apparent that one candidate’s message resonated the loudest.
Liberal turncoat Dan Cregan claimed victory just after 9pm, putting an end to the Liberals’ stranglehold on Kavel for the first time in 52 years.
With 43.9 per cent of votes counted on Saturday evening, Mr Cregan had secured 51.5 per cent of first-preference votes.
After distribution of preferences, he led Liberal candidate Rowan Mumford by 76.3 per cent to 23.7 per cent.
Mr Cregan announced his departure from the Liberal Party in 2021, only to re-emerge as an independent shortly after – but not before saying he planned to quit politics altogether after only three years.
Upon his return as an independent, he was controversially installed in the Speaker’s chair as the Marshall government lost control of the parliament. Mr Cregan’s seemingly unassailable lead was expected to send a strong message to both major parties about the danger of taking seats for granted.
“People have been very generous and encouraging, and I’ve been most grateful for the community’s support,” he said.
“But, of course, we won’t know the outcome until later this evening at the earliest.
“Talking to people, there’s deep community support for a new hospital in the Hills.
“There’s also very strong support for additional ambulance officers and more investment for the ambulance services generally.
“My re-election will send a very strong message that Hills people feel that our critical issues are in urgent need of attention and are often overlooked by both major parties. I will continue to work hard to change that.”
Mr Cregan celebrated his win at Auchendarroch House and Tavern in Mount Barker with Mayor Ann Ferguson.
“I am so thrilled that he made history with over 70 per cent of (two-party preferred) votes,” she said.
“That just shows how much we love a man with integrity.
“You only have to look at Dan’s track record.
“He’s fought so hard for our community and all the infrastructure we’ve achieved and hopefully we’ll continue this into the future.”
Meanwhile, Mr Mumford, who replaced Mr Cregan as the Liberal candidate for Kavel late last year, treated his volunteers to a beer at the Mount Barker Hotel.
The father of five had been a strong contender for the seat and had hoped to restore the community’s faith in the Liberal Party which many claimed had been overlooking Kavel.
Labor candidate Glen Dallimore said he considered running again at the next election.
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