Alex Antic’s election as president of the South Australian Liberal Party has intensified scrutiny of the party’s direction, with Labor claiming the result confirms a hard-right takeover and raising questions about the future role of parliamentary leader Ashton Hurn.
The conservative senator defeated MLC Nicola Centofanti by 119 votes to 73 in a ballot that had been widely expected to favour him. Centofanti was a late nominee, regarded by Antic’s opponents as a symbolic challenger and a possible gesture towards moderates.
The result gave Mr Antic a clear mandate rather than a narrow victory, although it has not ended tensions within the Liberals. Labor moved quickly to criticise the new president, Ms Hurn and others in the party.
Health Minister Blair Boyer said the outcome showed that the “hard right takeover of the SA Liberal Party is now complete”. He has also accused Ms Hurn of becoming a “marionette”, with the strings controlled by Mr Antic.
Ms Hurn’s position is likely to attract particular attention. She is described as a staunch moderate and does not share Mr Antic’s anti-vaccination or bird flu conspiracy views, but has said he is entitled to express them as a Liberal.
That leaves Ms Hurn having to balance her own views with the need to prevent fresh internal conflict. Mr Antic has previously said he wanted her to remain leader, while also acknowledging that they did not agree on every issue.
The new party leadership is expected to argue that Mr Antic was properly elected in an open ballot and that other candidates were free to stand. The party’s preference is to move on without allowing divisions between conservatives and moderates to dominate its public message.
Ms Centofanti was not the only possible alternative candidate. Conservative MLC Ben Hood was reportedly urged to run, while former MPs Stephan Knoll and Sam Duluk have said they were also approached as possible compromise choices. All declined to contest the presidency.
Mr Antic avoided the media after his election, continuing a pattern of limited engagement with journalists, some of whom he has accused of spreading fake news. His previous public appearance cited in the debate over the leadership was six months ago, when he was asked whether Ms Hurn would survive as leader.
“I don’t know,” he replied at the time. Asked whether he wanted her to stay, he answered: “Of course.”
The immediate challenge for the South Australian Liberals will be maintaining that position of cooperation. The election has settled the presidency, but the party’s history of factional hostility means the balance between Mr Antic’s supporters and its moderates remains fragile.
