The South Australian Liberal Party has today held its inaugural State Policy Convention in Adelaide as part of its grassroots engagement, with hundreds of people attending to discuss policy with State and Federal MPs.
There has also been a meeting of State Council where the completed 2022 State Election Review was discussed.
The review highlighted eight key areas of focus and made a number of recommendations to set the Liberal Party up for success in 2026.
The eight key findings were:
1. COVID 19 – COVID 19 was a significant factor in the campaign but it was by no means the only factor. The Government’s handling of the pandemic and the Omicron variant alone did not lose the Liberal Party the election however it did hamper the party’s ability to communicate our election message, make up ground and hold onto government.
2. SUMMER 21/22 – Research showed a significant proportion of the electorate made up their minds on who to vote for during the December 21 – January 22 period. This was a time when internal issues and the Omicron outbreak were central concerns.
3. INTERNAL ISSUES – The brand suffered damage through the second half of 2021 as internal issues came into media focus and the government slipped further into minority.
4. HEALTH – By the end of the campaign, the election had come down to a contest between two competing priorities, improving the health system versus strengthening the economy, and which party was best placed to deliver on those competing claims. Labor decoupled health with COVID management and ran a very misleading and deceptive, but effective, campaign on health.
5. FEDERAL CAMPAIGN – Labor’s federal campaign in their target seats had a marked effect on the state seats where boundaries crossed over.
6. OUR VALUES – As a party we must always stand up and fight for our core values. There is no other party championing the causes of the freedom of the individual, efficient government and maximising free enterprise. We are at our best when we remain true to these values, our members and supporters.
7. POLICY – Our policy platform has been a key driver of change in South Australia and we owe it to our members and to all South Australians to make it as strong and robust as possible. Setting a strong future focussed economic agenda will always bring out the best in our party.
8. FOUNDATIONS – The party has a clear pathway to victory in 2026. The economic, social and political landscape will look different to 2022 but many of the foundations for success are already in place. Our party has a wealth of talent, goodwill and belief that stands us in good stead for the future. We are a proud genuine grassroots political party.
State Liberal Leader David Speirs said it’s critical the South Australian Liberal Party learns from the 2022 election.
“The 2022 State Election Review is an important step towards the rebuilding, rejuvenation and modernisation of the South Australian Liberal Party,” Mr Speirs said.
“It is clear that there was not one single issue that cost us the election but a combination of many which led to our disappointing result.
“The review and the findings are wide-ranging and provide us an opportunity to learn from our election loss and now look to the future.
“The recommendations are across a range of areas including engagement, policy and campaigning and we have already started to implement many of them.
“I am thrilled to lead a fresh, united team as we reconnect with South Australians and develop our alternative vision for this great state.”