What do I do now? That is the question Vincent Tarzia should be asking himself. As someone who has aspired to lead the Liberal Party of South Australia for several years, he should have a clear plan ready to go.

When I (unexpectedly) took over the party leadership following our catastrophic election loss, I had a semblance of a plan. I needed to stabilise the party; help the re-elected rump of MPs heal; engage with the grassroots membership; strive for unity; rebuild relationships with industry and business groups that were disgruntled during the Covid-19 era; articulate what the party stood for; engage with the regions; and begin a process of thorough policy development, based on our foundational values.

READ: ‘Uniquely freeing’: David Speirs speaks out

My time leading the party was not without its challenges, but we did move things forward and pull together in a way that few thought was possible in the wake of such a brutal defeat. Mr Tarzia inherits a house in relative order; he has a foundation – albeit shaky – to build upon.

Mr Tarzia has not sought my advice and has not put me in Shadow Cabinet, although I would certainly have served if asked.

There are many ways I can contribute. Being outside the Shadow Cabinet will give me an independence of thinking and approach that will be uniquely freeing. I plan to engage broadly in areas of policy development that I have an interest in, and those that impact my electorate. I’m excited about this opportunity. 

Former Liberal Party leader David Speirs says not being in Vincent Tarzia’s cabinet will be “uniquely freeing”. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

External advisers will be important to the new leader, particularly people not caught up in the political bubble. As well as business and not-for-profit leaders, I would urge Mr Tarzia to meet with party elders, as I regularly did. Steven Marshall, Dean Brown, John Olsen, Isobel Redmond and Steven Baker were regular confidants. As were former federal actors such as John Howard, Alexander Downer and Christopher Pyne.

Being outside the Shadow Cabinet will give me an independence of thinking and approach that will be uniquely freeing

I have a stake in the success of the Liberal Party.

I hold a must-win seat in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, a mortgage belt seat, demographically different to the party’s other electorates. My ongoing involvement will be key to the party maintaining at least the status quo at the next election. 

So here’s what I think Mr Tarzia should do. My advice is unsolicited, but it is given in good faith.

Stay centred

Mr Tarzia owes his position to the Party’s Right grouping voting in an unusually disciplined block.

Vincent Tarzia after being elevated to the Liberal leadership following David Speirs’ sudden resignation. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

Consequently, there will be pressure on him to move the party in a more conservative direction. He should resist this. Elections in Australia (and even more so in South Australia) are won from the centre. Labor wins by pitching ideas that are just left of centre; the Liberals are successful when they present a coherent policy platform which is just right of the centre ground.

Lurching to the right will please some of the lay party and a few parliamentarians, but it will deter large swathes of the electorate who will find culture wars distracting and far from a priority when they’re struggling to pay their mortgages.

By staying true to tried-and-tested Liberal values, the party can have success. It should not chase the latest fad emanating from the MAGA movement.

Know our values and talk about them

As Leader, I worked with my team to clearly articulate what the party stands for and, importantly, to identify groups of people to champion.

If elected, the Liberal Party would of course govern for everyone, but we need to be very clear about those who can expect strong advocacy and transformative policy from us.

We are the party of opportunity, of freedom, of efficient government and, where feasible to do so, of lower taxes. We stand for small business owners, for families, for regional people, and for farmers. We are the advocates for veterans, for multicultural communities, for people who work hard, and for entrepreneurial hustlers.

Small business

The Liberal Party must be the party of small business.

We must talk obsessively about our support for small business owners and those who aspire to start small businesses.

A huge proportion of young South Australians want to own their own business one day. We can reach these voters by ensuring that we are the unashamed voice of small business, providing support for people to get their enterprises off the ground, helping them to survive and thrive.

Leading a major political party is far more than getting picked up by a chauffeur, popping on a bow tie and attending an endless array of alternate-drop meals at Adelaide Oval and the Convention Centre

I was criticised as Leader for saying I was not the voice of big business. I remain steadfast in that view.

The big end of town can stand on its own two feet. Big business is increasingly obsessed with woke ideology and backing social trends, the Voice, and other fads that are a million miles away from the average punter in the suburbs or regions. Further, there are only a handful of big businesses in South Australia.

We’re a small-business economy and these businesses need a party that has their backs. That party should be unquestionably the Liberal Party.

A Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business should be restored to Shadow Cabinet immediately. For a Liberal Party to abolish such a portfolio is breathtaking.

Respect the regions

During my tenure as Liberal leader I undertook more than 60 regional visits. It was a significant investment of time and energy, but it was a critical part of our strategy.

The Liberal Party must be the party of regional South Australia. It must celebrate regional communities, turn up in regional communities, and return again and again to build relationships and demonstrate respect.

In my Budget Reply Speech, I outlined my key focus areas for future regional policy announcements. These were to be clustered around regional population group, regional roads, regional health services, and regional policing.

I urge Mr Tarzia to begin a structured and ongoing itinerary of regional trips. There are additional seats for the party to win in regional South Australia, but this won’t happen if regional people don’t feel a connection with their alternative Premier.

Preselect candidates with urgency

I was preselected on October 21, 2012, a year and a half before the 2014 state election. Vincent Tarzia was preselected on the same weekend. In the lead up to the 2010 state election, successful candidates against Labor MPs, John Gardner and Steven Marshall, were given around two years to campaign.

The party must open its preselection process in winnable seats immediately and get candidates into the field. It will be challenging to recruit candidates after a leadership change and Mr Tarzia will have to work hard to convince prospects that they will be supported and have a decent chance of success.

Women

Some commentators say that the Liberal Party has a women problem. I disagree, pointing to the fact that 60 per cent of our ranks in the Legislative Council are women and half my leadership team (Nicola Centofanti and Jing Lee) were women.

The Liberal Party is the only major party in South Australia to have been led by a woman (Isobel Redmond from 2009 to 2013). However, we must do better because there is a clear perception in the community that we are unrepresentative, a fatal thing in a representative democracy.

What’s more, a political party that more closely resembles the make up of the community it seeks to represent will be more successful, will make better decisions, and will more easily govern for all.

Shortly after becoming Leader, I instituted a women’s taskforce to provide me with recommendations to significantly improve the number of Liberal women in the House of Assembly.

Mr Tarzia should pull out this report and insist its recommendations are advanced.

The Women’s Pathways Program, designed by the Leader’s Institute of South Australia, has been shelved – frustratingly blocked by the State Executive, one of whom said during debate on the matter “What about men?”

Looking around my party room, I quickly conclude that men are doing pretty well. The Pathways Program is ready to go and it will give women who are interested in representing our party the support and insights to do well. Keeping it on the shelf is unacceptable and will hold the party back.

Women such as Nicola Centofanti, Jing Lee, Ashton Hurn, Penny Pratt and Michelle Lensink should be given prominence at every opportunity. They, and others, are stars who can hold their own in the media. Building their profiles will help counter the nonsensical narrative that we are a party that ignores the interests of women.

Further, any move to dump Jing Lee from a winnable spot in the upcoming Legislative Council preselection should be vetoed by Mr Tarzia.

Jing is a brilliant contributor who has unparalleled networks with South Australia’s multicultural communities. Demoting her would send a cruel signal to these groups and undo years of hard work. Mr Tarzia should tell Jing’s detractors to back off and insist she be preselected in one of the top three winnable spots – ideally in the top spot, given her seniority in the leadership team.

Keep The Advertiser onside

I failed to do this. It hurt my leadership. Plain and simple. Lesson learnt.

Policy

Policy development will be the keystone of the party’s success.

It will be nigh on impossible to out-Malinauskas our populist Premier. If the party can build a coherent policy platform, established on a foundation of well-understood values, we will be able to present a coherent and potentially exciting alternative.

Policy development is well underway with the impressive Dr Anna Finizio taking on the role of policy director in my office after she lost the Dunstan by-election.

Cost of living ought to be the centrepiece of our election platform.

We should revive our policy position to put a cap on council rate rises (defeated by Labor and the Greens in the Legislative Council); we should commit to winding back Labor’s unjustified water bill rises (paying for water infrastructure expansion out of general revenue); and we should dramatically reduce the cost of public transport. The latter concept has been initiated by Queensland Labor where a ride on a train, bus or tram now costs 50c.

Public transport is used by workers and students, many of whom live in the outer suburbs. This would be a direct and ongoing financial benefit, would underscore the Liberal’s often-questioned commitment to public transport, and would be a high-profile signal that we’re serious about putting money back in the pockets of everyday folks.

I wish Mr Tarzia all the best in his endeavours. He thinks he can win the 2026 election. Many think he will be annihilated.

Health policy should also be a major focus.

There will be a demand from the public for the Liberal Party to answer “What would you do?” in relation to fixing ramping. As Leader, I outlined a number of areas of focus including meeting the $125 million unmet need in mental health services, investing in regional healthcare, and abolishing Labor’s GP payroll tax which is discouraging patients from visiting their doctor.

A major investment in a new hospital in the Upper Spencer Gulf would signal to communities such as Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie that the Liberals are serious about regional growth and backing a future economic powerhouse for our state. The hospital could have a specialist focus on the health of Indigenous Australians, providing services to residents of the APY Lands and other remote Aboriginal communities.

There is a mountain ahead for Mr Tarzia to ascend.

His team is confused and disoriented by the leadership change, and morale is low. Leading a major political party is far more than getting picked up by a chauffeur, popping on a bow tie and attending an endless array of alternate-drop meals at Adelaide Oval and the Convention Centre.

Political leadership is about a battle of ideas and bringing South Australians into relationship with a party that has clear values, a powerful policy platform, and a unified sense of purpose.

I maintain that the house has been left in good order following the last two years of consistent work by a largely unified team, but it’s time for the rubber to hit the road: the election is on the horizon.

I wish Mr Tarzia all the best in his endeavours. He thinks he can win the 2026 election. Many think he will be annihilated. I’ll watch with interest and contribute ideas from the sidelines. South Australia needs a good Opposition – it’s how our system of democracy thrives.

David Speirs MP is the Member for Black and was leader of the Opposition from April 2022 to August 2024.