Former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond says she feels ‘betrayed’ by Dan Cregan

Former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond says she once mentored Dan Cregan, before he quit the party in a move she labelled “one of the grubbiest things I’ve ever seen in politics”.

Former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond says she feels “personally very betrayed” by turncoat Adelaide Hills MP Dan Cregan, whose defection from the party she has savaged as “one of the grubbiest things I’ve ever seen in politics”.

But Mr Cregan has defended the decision, explaining he left because he was forced to choose between serving a faction and a party or serving his community.

Ms Redmond, Steven Marshall’s predecessor and the 16-year member for Heysen, believes Mr Cregan would “absolutely” side with Labor in the event of a hung parliament at Saturday’s state election.

In a rare interview with The Advertiser, Ms Redmond said she had been informally mentoring the first-term MP after he won Kavel for the Liberal Party in 2018.

Former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

He quit the party last year, blaming a lack of interest by the state government in fixing ambulance and traffic issues in the Hills, and is now standing as an independent.

“One week before (his defection), I was in his office discussing things with him and he was figuratively crying on my shoulder because he felt that politics was too grubby,” Ms Redmond said.

“I was counselling him to the effect that you don’t have to behave in a grubby way. Hold yourself to your own high standards and people will respect that.

“And then a week later he did what I consider to be one of the grubbiest things I’ve ever seen in politics.”

Ms Redmond said such a move would have been understandable had there been a “major moral falling out with the party”, but there was none.

“In my view this was about Dan wanting to advance Dan’s interests and Dan’s ambitions,” she said.

Independent Kavel MP Dan Cregan. Picture: Emma Brasier

Ms Redmond said she has had no further contact with Mr Cregan since his departure from the party, despite the pair both spending time at the Mount Barker early voting centre last week.

“I have nothing further to say to him,” she said.

Ms Redmond said she could “absolutely” envisage Mr Cregan supporting Labor to form government, which she said would leave Hills Liberals feeling ”even more deeply betrayed”.

Senior Liberal sources have told The Advertiser Mr Cregan quit the party after Premier Steven Marshall refused to elevate him to the cabinet.

Mr Cregan rejected Ms Redmond’s allegations and asked she respect his decision to become an independent.

“As I have said before, my natural instinct is to support the government but the government must support our urgent needs in the Hills,” Mr Cregan said.

“I’ve never made a deal with the Labor Party or with the Liberal Party for that matter.”

Mr Cregan said factions within his former party were “a cancer on our state”, and vowed to continue speaking out about issues without fear of retribution.

“The easiest path for me would have been to stay in the party in a safe seat with nearly-guaranteed chances of re-election and promotion,” he said.

“I decided to put my community first.”