Release date: 19/04/22

Liberal Party divisions have exploded just hours after David Speirs was elected the new Liberal leader, with Vickie Chapman sensationally quitting parliament and sparking a fresh outbreak of recriminations.

Yesterday, just six hours after David Speirs replaced Steven Marshall as Liberal Leader, Vickie Chapman announced she was quitting parliament within weeks, overshadowing Speirs’ elevation.

Chapman’s decision to quit clearly blindsided Speirs, who just hours earlier said he wasn’t ruling out including Chapman as part of his frontbench.

Speirs spent his first media conference as leader playing down any suggestion of divisions within the Liberal Party, saying “I don’t think there are significant divisions in this party at all”, even adding “I have no feud with Vickie Chapman”.

Yet hours later, Chapman quit, with the timing labelled deliberately spiteful by Liberals.

One Liberal telling The Advertiser:
“Vickie is so blinded by spite she’s stuck her middle finger up to the people of Bragg and embarrassed herself. This move, amongst other things, will forever taint her career. Her dynasty is dead because she just killed it.”

The ink isn’t even dry on the ballot papers in Bragg, yet because these two can’t work together, the people of the eastern suburbs are being forced to go to the polls three times in just three months. There is no better demonstration of Liberal Party divisions than this.


Quotes

Attributable to Manager of Government Business Tom Koutsantonis

David Speirs’ leadership is barely six hours old and we have already seen a breathtaking explosion in Liberal Party divisions.

The SA Liberal Party is so hopelessly divided they can’t even elect a new leader without an outbreak of recriminations.

Make no mistake, there are Liberals who do not support David Speirs’ leadership and are hell-bent on damaging him.