SA Liberal leader David Speirs under fire after dialling into a critical meeting ‘from bed’

South Australia’s Liberal leader David Speirs is under fire after telling party chiefs he was dialling into a critical meeting “from bed”.

• Dunstan on a knife-edge as counting nears the end

South Australia’s Liberal leader David Speirs is under fire after telling party chiefs he was dialling into a critical meeting “from bed”, during which two major reviews were launched into its disastrous campaign.

The fight for the state’s most marginal seat further tightened on Tuesday after official counting showed a knife-edge 51-49 margin to Labor’s candidate Cressida O’Hanlon, 51.

Ms O’Hanlon, a businesswoman, was on Tuesday night 367 votes ahead of Liberal opponent Dr Anna Finizio, 37, a lawyer, after one of the most bitter campaigns in memory.

A Court of Disputed Returns legal challenge is possible if either candidate, both former political advisers, is within fewer than 100 votes, sources said.

But Liberal hopes of a miracle come-from-behind win are fading.

Dunstan Candidate Dr Anna Finizio and Opposition leader David Speirs on polling day. Picture: Instagram

The political drama unfolded as Liberal chiefs on Monday night launched two “broad” inquiries to review the six week campaign and candidate vetting failures.

Party leaders were blindsided after Dr Finizio’s Labor job application was leaked to The Advertiser and her links to a failed family business came under government attack.

It is understood embattled Opposition Leader David Speirs told the state executive board meeting he was remotely dialling in “from bed”, which is why his video was off.

Sources close to Mr Speirs, who had earlier conducted McLaren Vale business visits, claimed he conducted remote meetings from a bedroom desk.

Cressida O'Hanlon with husband James, followed by Premier Peter Malinauskas and his wife Annabel at a Labor event on Saturday night. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Mr Speirs, who admitted he envied Labor’s factions, is understood to have launched a heated defence of his under-fire leadership and superior campaigning that was not properly used in Dunstan.

He argued he was stopping a “collapse” in Liberal support that would consign it to 20 years in Opposition and lose several suburban seats, sources said.

Critics argued given the political crisis it was “disrespectful” not to attend in person at the Liberal Unley headquarters.

Anna Finizio comforts David Speirs at an election night party at the Robin Hood pub, where the pair refused to answer questions. Picture: Brett Hartwig

A party spokesman said: “Given the Leader’s strenuous work schedule and large volume of out of hours meetings, it is not uncommon that some conferences occur via Zoom from his desk at home.”

SA Senator Simon Birmingham dialled in from Canberra as did vice president Lachlan Haynes from Naracoorte.

Premier Peter Malinauskas on a tour of the new inpatient ward at Flinders Medical Centre in Bedford Park with Cressida O’Hanlon on Sunday. The Labor Dunstan candidate has not yet won. Picture: Matt Loxton

The executive resolved to hire a Kings Counsel barrister to review its candidate review committee processes, which Mr Speirs insisted during the campaign was “robust”.

A campaign review, which Federal Director Andrew Hirst will likely oversee, will start after a by-election result is declared.

The Electoral Commission, which is under Liberal fire over a bizarre 11th hour tweet publicly alleging a breach of election laws, has counted 6230 declaration votes, of which 55.3 per cent favoured the Liberals.

With almost 2000 votes left to be counted, and a result possibly not called until after Easter, senior Liberals believe the party will lose former premier Steven Marshall’s inner eastern suburbs electorate.

Senior Labor sources said they were now “confident” that Ms O’Hanlon, who attended a government hospital press conference on Sunday despite the result not being called, will become the first SA government candidate to win a by-election fight from an opposition in more than 116 years.

Liberal officials believe they would need to improve the current trend to snare the seat Mr Marshall won in 2022 by 260 votes and overturn huge Greens preferences to Labor.

Originally published as SA Liberal leader David Speirs under fire after dialling into a critical meeting ‘from bed’