Vincent Tarzia Elected Leader of South Australian Liberals
Vincent Tarzia has been elected as the new leader of the South Australian Liberal Party, following the resignation of David Speirs. Tarzia defeated fellow contender Josh Teague by 18 votes to four at a party room meeting.
Tarzia has described his rise to the party's top job as an opportunity to "refresh" and "refocus". He has also pledged to work with the Ambulance Employees Association to fix ramping and repeated Speirs's previous accusation that Labor had committed "electoral fraud" over its promise to "fix the ramping crisis".
Tarzia is confident in the party's chances of success at the next state election, stating, "I'm going to work hard every day with a strong team behind me to take up the fight to Labor and to make sure that the Liberal Party wins the state election in 2026."
His colleagues have praised his leadership qualities, with Adrian Pederick stating that Tarzia will "keep the team united" and Tim Whetstone calling it a "good decision".
However, Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis has criticized Tarzia's approach, stating that he has taken South Australians for granted by declaring he would win the next election without releasing any policies so far. He also criticized Tarzia's "treachery" in undermining and destabilizing his own party.
Former Liberal leader David Speirs has expressed his disappointment and frustration, stating that he has had a "gutful" and no longer has the energy to continue in the role. He also threatened to leave the party if certain unnamed parliamentary colleagues "were rewarded".
Despite the challenges ahead, Tarzia is determined to lead the Liberal Party to victory in the next state election. He has outlined his priorities and is confident that he can unite the party and achieve success.