SA Liberals to avoid bloodletting in leadership vote

The South Australian Liberals will avoid any election-eve bloodletting, with Barossa Valley MP Ashton Hurn set to be elected unopposed as the state’s new opposition leader on Monday

The South Australian Liberals will avoid any election-eve bloodletting, with Barossa Valley MP Ashton Hurn set to be elected unopposed as the state’s new opposition leader on Monday.

Ms Hurn will become the fourth SA Liberal leader of this parliamentary term and faces the daunting task of unseating Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas at the SA election to be held in just 15 weeks.

Ms Hurn’s likely elevation follows the snap resignation last Friday of Vincent Tarzia, who had been in the job since August when former leader David Speirs quit amid a cocaine scandal.

Amid all the chaos two positives have emerged for the SA Liberals – a cross-factional consensus over Ms Hurn becoming leader, and an absence of any rancour or backbiting from Mr Tarzia, who insists he was not pushed from the role but simply wants to spend time with his family.

“I’m not bitter at all,” he said last Friday after he tendered his resignation as leader.

“I’m calm, I feel relaxed, whilst it has been a bit of a sad moment to move on from this role.

“There’s a reason why they say it’s the worst job in politics.”

Aside from paying tribute to Mr Tarzia and saying she would spend the weekend considering her position, Ms Hurn had maintained her silence on the leadership question but issued a brief statement late on Sunday confirming she would run.

“Having been encouraged by my colleagues over the weekend, I have decided to put myself forward as a candidate to lead the Liberal Party to the next state election,” she said.

“I’ll respect the party room process and address the media after the meeting.”

Ms Hurn was buoyed over the weekend by several MPs from both the conservative and moderate factions speaking publicly in support of her candidacy, which is expected to be unopposed.

The one confusing element for the Liberal Party Room is whether there will be a challenge against deputy leader Josh Teague, who said at the weekend he had no intention of quitting the role.

However, new Liberal recruit and former Today Tonight journalist Frank Pangallo had indicated an interest in the role which he subsequently withdrew when it was pointed out Upper House MPs could not serve as deputy under SA Liberal rules.

Many in the party had been hoping Ms Hurn, a moderate, would be joined as deputy by conservative MLC Ben Hood, but his candidacy is also prevented by his status as an Upper House MP.

Party conservatives will be unhappy with both the leader and deputy leader’s role being held by moderates, with Josh Teague regarded as very left-leaning, as evidenced last week when he angered many Liberals by arguing the Indigenous voice to parliament would be retained by a Tarzia government.

But party conservatives will be buoyed by the fact that Ms Hurn is likely to install Mr Hood as the party’s Treasury spokesman, replacing Sam Telfer who is fighting a tough battle against independent candidates in his Yorke Peninsula seat.

If elected, 34-year-old Ms Hurn becomes the third female Leader to be installed in as many weeks, joining Victoria’s Jess Wilson and NSW’s Kellie Sloane as a potential female saviour for a state opposition.