Nick McBride misses out on Liberal leadership
The Coorong's state MP has lost a bid to become South Australia's opposition leader, to David Speirs.
The Coorong’s state MP, Nick McBride, has lost a bid to become South Australia’s opposition leader.
David Speirs will instead become leader of the state Liberal Party after former Premier Steven Marshall’s election loss last month.
“I put my name forward for the leadership position as I am committed to change in our party,” Mr McBride said after a party room ballot on Tuesday morning.
“While I have not been selected, this time has provided me with the opportunity to share my views and thoughts on the way forward for our party with my Liberal parliamentary colleagues.
“I hope that the leadership change can bring about meaningful change in the way our party engages and represents the views and needs of our regions, business, families, and communities.”
He congratulated Mr Speirs, deputy John Gardner and upper house leaders Nicola Cenofanti and Jing Lee on their appointments, and promised to work constructively with them all.
Mr Speirs promised that the Liberal Party would come up with a fresh vision for South Australia under his leadership, and would hold Premier Peter Malinauskas and his Labor government to account during the next four years.
The 37-year-old MP, born in Scotland and elected in 2014, was South Australia’s Water and Environment Minister prior to the election.
He oversaw the reform of the state’s NRM boards into the “back to basics” body Landscape SA, and shaped a $70 million project intended to revitalise the Coorong.
He also agreed to a deal which ended years of interstate wrangling about 450 gigalitres of water promised to the environment under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; but was later criticised by a Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin for allegedly selling out the state’s interests in doing so.
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