South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs declares no disunity after party AGM

Liberal leader David Speirs argues a factional takeover has been averted, despite the Right claiming victory at the party’s AGM.

Liberal leader David Speirs is proclaiming a breakout of peace within his party after a “balanced state executive” was elected just six months after a disastrous election loss.

Insisting the party had not been taken over by factions at Saturday’s annual general meeting, Mr Speirs declared the state Liberal Party was “centre-right” and neither lurched to the far right nor was trying to “become some sort of Labor-light” group.

An influx of Pentecostal church-based recruits spearheaded by Senator Alex Antic swelled conservative ranks but the party’s newly elected president, conservative Adelaide Hills gym owner and former Kavel candidate Rowan Mumford, was Mr Speirs’ choice and installed with cross-factional support.

Liberal candidate in the Adelaide Hills seat of Kavel, Rowan Mumford, handing out how to vote cards at Mount Barker High School on state election day. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Four vice-presidents’ positions were shared two apiece between the Right and Moderate factions, although one senior Moderate insisted one claimed by the Right was actually non-aligned.

Right powerbroker and federal Barker MP Tony Pasin hailed a “perfect outcome” that had improved his faction’s state executive position and handed them control of that group, claiming five spots and the Moderates four.

But a senior Moderate insisted the Right had “massively overplayed their hand”, declaring that the executive’s makeup was now five Moderates, four Conservatives and one non-aligned.

Mr Speirs vowed his leadership would be centrist within the party and highlighted that his rise to the top job had not been propelled by factions.

“There is no disunity here. We’ve just elected a balanced state executive, a broad church. The speculation that this would be some sort of implosion fizzled away to absolutely naught” he said.

“ … We will take the progressive tradition within the party and the more conservative tradition within the party – we’ll meld them together and we’ll be a broad church, as John Howard, our great Prime Minister, often described. I hope there’ll be peace in our time.”

Opposition Leader David Speirs and his Liberal MP team at the party's "love in" in Port Lincoln in early September. Picture: David Speirs/ Facebook

Mr Pasin declared the Right now controlled the executive, even if Mr Speirs voted with Moderates, because of the Conservative president’s casting, deliberative vote.

“From the Right’s perspective, this is a perfect outcome. It’s what we’ve always been looking for – a balancing of the respective interests in the party,” he said.

“We’re moving away from a winner-takes-all approach, which was one which personified (Steven) Marshall’s Liberal government, and we’ll continue to encourage people who share our values to join our party and strengthen our arm.”

In a pre-election interview with The Advertiser, Mr Marshall conceded cabinet balance had not been achieved in the past 12 to 18 months and “would need to be addressed in the future”.

Mr Mumford said he looked forward to working alongside Mr Speirs, newly installed state director Alex May and the broader party “as we bring a new and fresh perspective, energy and passion”.

A Moderate powerbroker highlighted that both fundamentalist Christian candidates had lost, saying: “Whatever way they (the Right) are trying to spin it now, they told everyone they were taking out the Moderates with 1000 new Christian members. They didn’t.”

Vice presidents elected were: Berri Barmera councillor Ella Winnall, (Right, first elected); farm manager Lachlan Hayes (Right); engineering firm executive Leah Grantham (Moderate) and lawyer Alex Rice (Moderate).

Originally published as South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs declares no disunity after party AGM