Liberal state president Leah Blyth wants family tax relief, warning party risks extinction

A senior SA Liberal wants her party to reconnect with women warning things must change or the party will risk extinction.

Tax-deductible childcare and concessions for parents re-entering the workforce are being urged by Liberal state president Leah Blyth, who warns her shell-shocked party must reconnect with modern Australia or risk extinction.

Declaring the May 3 election “a wake-up call for the Liberal Party”, Senator Blyth said women, in particular, had “sent a resounding message at the ballot box”.

She said her party had been effectively wiped off the map in South Australia, particularly in metropolitan Adelaide” and risked political extinction without change.

In a further threat, the Greens declared their federal election analysis showed they could snag state deputy leader Josh Teague’s Adelaide Hills seat of Heysen at next year’s state election.

Declaring the May 3 election “a wake-up call for the Liberal Party”, Senator Blyth (right) said women, in particular, had “sent a resounding message at the ballot box”. Picture: Facebook

Senator Blyth, a mother of school-age children, said the Liberal bid to reconnect must start with “real, workable solutions” that reflected the daily experiences and aspirations of hardworking families.

She urged “practical reforms”, such as tax-deductible childcare, lifting the tax-free threshold for parents re-entering the workforce and revisiting income-splitting, to stop single-income families being penalised even when their total earnings were the same as dual-income households.

“It is time for the Liberal Party to change direction. These results did not come out of nowhere; they reflect a growing and longstanding disconnect between our party and much of the electorate,” she said, in an opinion piece.

“If we fail to engage with modern Australia – a nation that is both urban and rural, diverse, and striving to balance work and family – we risk not only electoral irrelevance, but political extinction.”

Senator Blyth said families were working “harder than ever”, both raising children and looking after parents, and were “still wondering when they’ll catch a break”.

“I understand that. As a wife and mother, I have stood in those supermarket aisles. I have felt that quiet exasperation at the school gate. These are the daily pressures that politics too often fails to grasp – and that must change.”

Senator Blyth said Liberals must embrace modern Australia and reflect it in their membership, their policies and their leadership. Picture: NewsWire/ Tim Joy

Senator Blyth also declared migration central to Australia’s success, saying Liberals “must embrace this reality and reflect it in our membership, our policies and our leadership”.

Condemning housing supply being choked by planning bottlenecks, red tape and over-regulation, Senator Blyth demanded barriers be cut and the private sector be unleashed.

“But we must do more than raise these ideas at election time.

We need to champion them every day. Our core belief – that smaller government and greater personal responsibility lead to better outcomes – must be a living principle, not a slogan,” she said.

Greens state co-leader Robert Simms said the party was on track to make gains at next March’s state election.

“We can snag the seat of Heysen off the Liberals in 2026 with a smaller swing than what was achieved at the last state election,” he said.

Originally published as Liberal state president Leah Blyth wants family tax relief, warning party risks extinction