Political row erupts over when state parliament should officially ratify Leah Blyth’s Senate win
A political war of words has erupted over the official approval of the SA Liberal’s newest Senator amid government claims the opposition was acting like a dysfunctional rabble.
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A political war of words has erupted over the official approval of the Liberal Party’s new South Australian senator.
The party’s state president, and Conservative faction member Leah Blyth was selected on Friday after its state council voted for her to fill Simon Birmingham’s vacant six-year Senate spot.
But a political row has erupted over when parliament should officially ratify her win amid Labor claims of Liberal “dysfunction”.
Liberal officials, however, hit back, accusing the government of disrespecting holidays and argued timings were identical to other Senate nominations.
Senior government sources accused the Liberals of being “dysfunctional” and overseeing a “s**t show” after-party officials allegedly “demanded” a joint sitting before a replacement was chosen.
Under the state constitution, a joint sitting of both houses of parliament is needed to ratify a Senate casual vacancy.
Parliament’s rules state a seven-day notice is required of a joint sitting of the House of Assembly and Legislative Council.
This will occur on Thursday during the first state parliamentary sitting week this year.
The federal parliament also returns this week for the first time in 2025.
Leaked documents show the government was warned a notification from the Governor was “urgently needed to ensure there is no delay in filing the seat and the state is appropriately represented”.
A senior government official said this “just highlights how dysfunctional” the Liberals are.
“They have been demanding a joint sitting be arranged before they have even selected Senator Birmingham’s replacement,” they said.
“They have had more than two months to find a replacement.
“A joint sitting could have been arranged for the first sitting day back of the state parliament, instead division in the party has delayed electing a replacement
“So it’s a bit rich to be demanding a quick joint sitting when you haven’t actually done the work you need to do.”
Mr Birmingham, a moderate faction powerbroker who has joined ANZ bank, quit in November last year after almost 20 years in federal parliament.
Ms Blyth, an education executive and married mother of three who was a former Women’s Council president and political adviser, was the frontrunner after falling to the unwinnable fourth spot at a Senate preselection last year.
She won the ballot with 119 votes, over lawyer Sam Hooper (71) and Adelaide City Councillor Henry Davis (11) in one round.
Liberal rules allow her to continue as president after she secured the party’s SA chairwoman role last year.
Liberal Party state director Alexander Hyde said its preselection process was “conducted swiftly and competently over the New Year and timed to be finalised before the return of parliament”.
“We are not like the Labor Party, whose faceless union men secretively hand pick candidates in the backrooms of restaurants,” he said.
“Labor’s lack of constitutional understanding and respect is sadly unsurprising after their failed referendum on the Voice.
“Their disrespect for the Christmas and New Year period is also well known after they tried to remove ‘Christmas Day’ from legislation in 2023.”
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Originally published as Political row erupts over when state parliament should officially ratify Leah Blyth’s Senate win
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