One Nation’s Jason Virgo wins in MacKillop
A Mount Gambier security guard will represent Tailem Bend and the Coorong district in South Australia’s parliament for the next four years.
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One Nation candidate Jason Virgo will represent the Coorong district in parliament for the next four years after claiming victory in the seat of MacKillop.
Mr Virgo won 50.8 per cent of votes in a two-party contest against the Liberals’ Rebekah Rosser, according to the Electoral Commission of South Australia.
He was backed by 56% of voters at Tailem Bend, in the top corner of the electorate.
In a social media post, he vowed he would fight for MacKillop every single day.
One Nation described him as a local who understood the people, the land, and what communities needed.
“Jason will be a strong voice for regional South Australia, standing up for better services, stronger local businesses, and the support rural communities deserve,” the party said in another post.
“This is a breakthrough moment, and it shows just how strong the demand for change has become.”
Meanwhile, Ms Rosser conceded defeat on behalf of the Liberals, saying she had phoned Mr Virgo to congratulate him on Monday morning.
“At our core, we all want the same things for MacKillop: better health services, cheaper power and investment beyond the toll gate,” she said.
“The next four years under Labor will be tough, and now more then ever we must come together and focus on what unites us.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me.”
Mr Virgo is a security guard by trade, and previously worked at the immigration detention centre on Christmas Island.
Until now, he had been living in Mount Gambier, serving as a local councillor and training to be a mortgage broker.
He will succeed independent MP Nick McBride, who finished fourth on first-preference votes after representing the region for the past eight years.
Mr McBride had been elected twice as a Liberal, and even ran for the leadership in 2022, but quit the party the following year.
More recently, he had faced criminal charges – not yet settled in court – for allegedly assaulting his wife.
The result was not yet official when Mr Virgo declared victory on Monday, but was expected to be finalised within days.
As a state MP, he will earn just over $218,000 per year, have the use of a government car and – famously – have access to the same country members’ accommodation allowance which sparked a political scandal back in 2020.
He will be one of at least three One Nation MPs in SA’s lower house, alongside new Member for Hammond Robert Roylance.
However, Mr Roylance had not yet declared victory on Tuesday, nor had Liberal MP Adrian Pederick conceded defeat.
