Migrant David Speirs focused on winning back power in South Australia

A 37-year-old Scottish migrant has been tasked with leading the South Australian Liberals back from the abyss.

Newly elected South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs at Parliament House in Adelaide on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

A 37-year-old Scottish migrant has been tasked with leading the South Australian Liberals back from the abyss after the party suffered a crushing defeat at last month’s state election.

Former Marshall government environment minister David ­Speirs was resoundingly endorsed on Tuesday as the new SA Liberal leader following the resignation of former premier Steven Marshall in wake of his first-term election defeat.

His victory came as one of the most prominent and divisive figures in the state Liberals, senior moderate and former deputy premier Vickie Chapman, made the snap announcement that she was quitting politics immediately.

While some Liberals are accusing her of overshadowing the new leadership team and subjecting the party to a difficult by-election, her departure will help Mr Speirs draw a line under the rivalries that have long rendered the Liberal division a factional quagmire.

Speirs said his first move would be to serve also as opposition small business spokesman, saying the Liberals needed to reconnect with their core constituency in light of last month’s result.

“In politics, perception is reality and there is a perception among small business that we lost our way, and the management of Covid just created another whole layer of complexity around that,” Mr Speirs said.

In what for the Liberals has been a rare positive sign in a very tough month, the commanding nature of the win by the factionally unaligned Mr Speirs will help him put an end to the internal ­divisions that have hurt the party.

Mr Speirs ran a prominent public campaign pitching himself as beholden to neither the moderate nor conservative camps and was elected with 18 votes ahead of moderate Josh Teague with five and country MP Nick McBride with just one vote.

Mr Speirs drew on his background as a Scottish migrant who had then studied at the University of Adelaide and lived in the outer suburbs to show how the SA Liberals needed to broaden their base.

“As the son of migrant family who has grown up in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, I understand the day-to-day challenges people face and I look forward to working hard to make our state an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” Mr Speirs said.

“Our new leadership team is united, fresh and eager to reconnect with the suburbs, the regions and everyday South Australians.”

Mr Speirs is joined in the leadership by new deputy John Gardiner, whose elevation spelt the end of Ms Chapman’s seniority within the party.

Ms Chapman had long been one of the state’s most influential moderate Liberal figures but had come to be regarded as a divisive force by party conservatives and Liberal Christians over her pursuit of late-term abortion and ­euthanasia reforms.

Mr Speirs used his first press conference to declare that victory was possible in 2026 despite the Liberals suffering a 6.5 per cent swing last month and now needing to win eight seats to oust Peter Malinauskas’ Labor government at the next election.

“We are firmly focused on winning in 2026,” he said. “I’m not about keeping this seat warm for the future”.

His vow came as Mr Marshall made his first public comments since his March 19 defeat, showing the same grace he has maintained despite the crushing nature of his loss.

He issued a statement in which he confirmed he intends to stay on as the member for Dunstan.

“It has been the greatest privilege to serve South Australians over the past nine years and to lead the state as premier through one of the most important and difficult periods in recent history,” Mr Marshall said.

“We accomplished incredible things as a Liberal government and, despite the challenges caused by Covid-19, worked tirelessly to ensure South Australia emerges from the pandemic stronger than ever.

“I look forward to the future and watching the Liberal Party progress further under the guidance of a new leader. I am confident the Liberal Party will return to government in 2026.”