Work from home wins SA Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia’s support after disastrous federal election results

It delivered a fatal blow to his former federal counterpart’s election hopes. Now Vincent Tarzia has revealed where his team stands on work from home policies.

• Starick: How bad will SA Lib wipeout get?
• Kouts sinks in boot as Speirs holds on to title

State Liberals are emphatically rejecting two key planks of the failed federal election campaign – reeling in work-from-home rules and pushing for a nuclear-powered Australia.

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said the “electorate has spoken” after Liberal Party seats toppled across the nation on Saturday, telling South Australians he supported current work-from-home options.

“I think it was a terrible campaign. It failed to connect with Australians, you only have to look at that work-from-home type of policy,” Mr Tarzia said.

“I can say that as a young dad, as a young father, I’m expecting another child with my wife, I know there are many families who depend on some kind of flexibility and I think while that issue was weaponised by the Labor Party, it was rejected by the electorate.”

TELL US WHY IN THE COMMENTS

Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton – who lost his Queensland seat – had initially spruiked a policy to push Canberra public servants back into the office as he promised a tougher approach to WFH flexibility.

After widespread condemnation for the policy was ramped up by the Labor Party, Mr Dutton announced the plan was spiked.

Mr Tarzia believed it was the policy that “really affected the campaign momentum” and he made it clear that the state Liberal Party would not consider following that direction.

“The federal result basically categorically ruled out that so, as far as I’m concerned, like the nuclear issue, the issue is done and dusted,” he said.

Ousted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton conceding the election on Saturday. Picture: Adam Head / NewsWire

Another unpopular policy announced by Mr Dutton in July last year that the Liberal Party would build seven government-owned nuclear reactors including in Port Augusta proved toxic during the election campaign.

Mr Dutton failed to visit any of the proposed reactor sites on his campaign trail and the plan was not embraced by inner-city voters.

Earlier in the week the state Liberal Party announced it was dropping its plan for a royal commission into nuclear energy, sparking outrage from state Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis.

Stephen Patterson had been appointed by Mr Tarzia as Shadow Minister for Nuclear Readiness.

“On the nuclear issue we made the point that while we were open minded to it we also needed Peter Dutton to become Prime Minister,” Mr Tarzia said.

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia in January with his wife Charissa and son Leonardo, 3, announcing Ms Tarzia is pregnant with their second child. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Activists dressed in hazmat suits and gas masks staged the clean up with Geiger counters during Peter Dutton’s election launch. Picture: NewsWire handout

“Now that hasn’t happened the nuclear plan is off the table and we will be considering other options like gas, and will release energy policy in the lead up to the election.”

Mr Koutsantonis, who has been forced to reel back his own hydrogen jobs plan to switch its $593m funding to the Whyalla steelworks and mine bailout, said “they’re breaking election promises even before they’ve got an election”.

“Vincent Tarzia must now dump his shadow Minister for Nuclear Readiness, who has absolutely no policy offering other than the pursuit of an energy source that evidence shows will drive up bills for South Australians,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

Originally published as Work from home wins SA Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia’s support after disastrous federal election results