Robe business owner will aim to take back Mackillop for the Liberal Party
The Liberals have named the candidate who will take on independent Nick McBride in the electorate which includes Tailem Bend in 2026.
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A tourism business operator from Robe will attempt to reclaim the electorate of Mackillop for the Liberal Party at the 2026 state election.
Rebekah Rosser was named the party’s candidate for the electorate, which stretches from Tailem Bend down into the South East, on Sunday.
She is the first announced opponent for independent MP Nick McBride, who was elected as a Liberal in 2018 but quit the party in 2023.
Ms Rosser grew up at Robe and went to Adelaide High School before launching a high-flying bureaucratic and corporate career.
She spent seven years as a ministerial advisor, working in the office of former state Opposition Leader Rob Kerin before taking roles in the federal public service under Prime Minister John Howard, including as secretary of a parliamentary agriculture committee and a clerk for the Liberal Party’s whip – or business manager – in the Senate.
She sought preselection for the party at least once during that period, losing a ballot to still-serving MP Michelle Lensink.
Ms Rosser then went on to work for the SA Cricket Association and Cricket Australia, according to a social media profile, rising to a position in which she negotiated multi-million dollar venue contracts.
However, she and her husband Andrew sold their St Peters home in 2019, according to The Advertiser, and moved back to Robe.
The couple now manage Stony Rise Lodge, a luxurious boutique hotel.
Ms Rosser said she was glad Mackillop’s party members had preselected her from among three candidates.
She said she looked forward to advocating for “strong, values-driven” policy if elected next March.
“We have a real ability to bring back strong representation for our electorate into things that will make a difference for us here, like long-term funding for our regional roads and aged care funding that will support people to stay in their own homes,” she said.
Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said her experience and commercial acumen would be valuable to the Liberal team in Parliament.
The next state election will be held on March 22, 2026.
There will also be an independent-versus-Liberal contest in neighbouring Hammond, the electorate which includes Murray Bridge and Mannum: Airlie Keen will again challenge long-serving MP Adrian Pederick.
