Achi news desk-
South Australia’s Opposition Leader, David Speirs, has vowed to tighten his grip on the state’s Liberal Party, after a bruising by-election result.
Voting is still underway in the eastern suburbs Adelaide seat of Dunstan but early signs point to a historic loss for the 39-year-old Liberal leader.
With around a third of votes still to be counted, Labour’s Cressida O’Hanlon holds a 3.8 per cent two-party lead over Liberal candidate Anna Finizio after a 4.4 per cent swing.
If confirmed, it would be the first time an opposition party in South Australia has lost a government seat in 116 years.
Mr Speirs acknowledged the disappointing result but said it was going nowhere.
“I have canvassed many of my colleagues over the last 48 hours … and my colleagues were fully supportive of me continuing in this role,” he told ABC Radio on Monday.
But he said change was needed after the unexpected swing.
“I can use this as a reason to take control of some things within the party,” said Mr Speirs.
“Perhaps driving a different approach to the way the party is run and this should be a call to action for me and my team.”
The party should consider emulating Labour’s system of formal factions as a more structured method of organisation, he said.
“I think there needs to be a level of rigor and discipline to the way the different groups within the party operate,” said Mr Speirs.
“Now, we haven’t made a decision on that… but… it’s something we should look at, because I’m looking at the discipline of (Premier) Peter Malinauskas’s party and the way it binds different groups together and I envy that.”
Both major parties suffered a slump in primary votes after a campaign defined by mudslinging and personal attacks.
A possible change to the Greens was predicted as a result of voter disillusionment in the run-up to polling day and was confirmed by a swing of 8.8 per cent for candidate Katie McCusker.
“… We should have countered that and we didn’t. So that’s something … we need to do better,” said Mr Speirs.
“… both main parties need to take a good look at the rise of the Greens … in terms of holding the Greens to account for their policy positions which I don’t think many people are aware of.”
