Vincent Tarzia has resigned from his position as the leader of South Australia’s Liberal Party, just over a year after succeeding David Speirs, who stepped down amid controversy. Tarzia’s resignation comes amid mounting speculation regarding a leadership change, particularly with party members advocating for Ashton Hurn, the Opposition’s health spokesperson, to take over before the upcoming state election in March 2025.
This latest leadership change marks a turbulent period for the Liberal Party in South Australia. Tarzia is the third Liberal leader to resign in the past three weeks, following Brad Battin‘s replacement by Jess Wilson in Victoria and Kellie Sloane‘s takeover from Mark Speakman in New South Wales.
In a statement made on Friday, Tarzia clarified that his decision to resign was not influenced by any colleague. He remarked, “There’s a reason why they say it is the worst job in politics.” He acknowledged the challenges of the role, particularly while balancing family responsibilities with young children aged four years and five months.
Recent polling data from YouGov indicated a significant gap between Tarzia and the incumbent Premier, Peter Malinauskas, the leader of the state Labor Party. A survey conducted in June showed Malinauskas leading Tarzia as the preferred premier by a staggering margin of 58 points, with 72 percent in favor of Malinauskas compared to 14 percent for Tarzia. Paul Smith, YouGov’s director of public data, noted that if the trend continued, the Liberal Party could suffer substantial losses in the upcoming election.
The leadership change follows a difficult tenure for Tarzia, who took over from Speirs in August 2024 after Speirs faced allegations of drug-related offenses and ultimately pleaded guilty to those charges in March. Tarzia reflected on his decision to resign, stating that he had made the choice only earlier that day. He expressed no bitterness about the situation, saying, “Whilst it has been a sad moment to move on from this role, I’m very calm and I want to make sure that I help and support the next leader of the Liberal Party going forward.”
Tarzia confirmed his commitment to continue representing the electorate of Hartley and extended his best wishes to his party colleagues and supporters as the Liberal Party navigates this challenging period. The party’s future leadership decisions and strategies will be critical in the lead-up to the March election, as they aim to regain ground in a shifting political landscape.
