South Australian Liberals ‘must put end to battles of old’, says David Speirs

The Liberal Party must put an end to moderate-versus-conservative schisms if it is ever going to combat state Labor governments.

SA Liberal MP David Speirs. Picture: AAP

The Liberal Party must put an end to moderate-versus-conservative schisms if it is ever going to combat state Labor governments, the frontrunner for the South Australian Liberal leadership has told The Australian.

Former Marshall government environment minister David Speirs – the only Liberal to hold his seat in southern Adelaide at the March 19 election drubbing – also said the party needed to ­reconnect with the suburbs and regions in the wake of the ­landslide win by Labor’s Peter Malinauskas.

The Scottish-born 37-year-old, who emigrated to Australia when he was 17 and completed a law degree at the University of Adelaide, took aim at the ancient hatreds that have plagued the SA Liberal Party, which by 2026 will have been in power for just four of the previous 24 years.

The unaligned Mr Speirs said he represented a clean break from the divisions of the past, which date back to the Liberal movement under premier Steele Hall in the 1960s. Since then, there have been three extended periods of Labor rule – Don Dunstan in the 1970s, John Bannon in the 80s and Mike Rann in the 2000s.

Conversely, the Liberals squandered their chance at stable government after winning a landslide at the 1993 State Bank election, only to be racked by years of brawling between forces loyal to moderate Dean Brown and conservative John Olsen.

“South Australians aren’t interested in that sort of rubbish,” Mr Speirs said. “I wasn’t born when many of these things happened. In the Dean Brown and John Olsen period, I was still in primary school.

“I have got a ministerial record to be proud of, and experience in government, but I leave the baggage of these old dynasties and those old Adelaide stories behind. I think that’s what the party needs. Voters want people to pitch a vision for the state and lead effectively in a way that gets on with delivering the basics.

“I am not factionally aligned, I don’t call myself a member of any faction, but there is not a person in the SA Liberal Party who I don’t get along with.

“I represent a significant generational change for the Liberal Party in SA moving into the ­future – younger, more energetic, completely different focus.”

Mr Speirs dismissed suggestions the SA Liberal leadership was a poisoned chalice given the party suffered a 6.5 per cent swing last month and must win eight seats to form government in 2026, several of them held by former Liberals now serving as independents.

“I am running to win in 2026. I am not going to keep the seat warm until we rebuild seat by seat, election by election,” he said.

“I think there is a pathway to win in 2026 and I am intending to lead the party in that direction.”

In a candid critique of the Liberal campaign, Mr Speirs singled out the cancellation of the popular Adelaide 500 V8 motor race, and the bungled sell-job on the new $633m Adelaide Entertainment Centre, which Labor promised to axe, with all funding going to health.

While Mr Speirs is expected to be elected next Tuesday, he is also likely to be challenged by moderate MP Josh Teague and country Liberal Nick McBride.