Premier announces Frome candidate for next year’s election
The Premier has anointed Labor stalwart Tony Piccolo into a difficult neighbouring seat for next year’s state election.
As predicted exclusively in InDaily on Monday, Premier Peter Malinauskas has just anointed a Labor stalwart into a difficult neighbouring seat for next year’s state election.
Tony Piccolo will swap from Light to Frome creating a far greater challenge for the 65-year-old to remain in politics.
Malinaukas used his state cabinet’s visit to the parched mid-north region of Frome today to drop the news. By the next state election, the seat will be known as Ngadjuri.
The news comes as the Liberal Party unveiled its candidate for John Gardner’s to-be-vacant seat of Morialta.
Piccolo will do battle with formidable incumbent Liberal MP Penny Pratt who won Frome in 2022 with an 8.2 per cent margin, only to have that whittled back to 3.3 per cent after a boundary redistribution.
Piccolo has held Light since 2006 but will face the fight of his life with the adjacent electorate now in the grip of drought conditions and an impotent water supply at burgeoning housing estates.
Put simply, locals are fuming.
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Tonight’s community forum in Two Wells at 6pm could see the Premier lose some gloss from his ever-present shine if a water-deprived lynch mob turns out in force.
Piccolo’s response to my questions earlier this week over today’s announcement remain curious.
He denied his pre-selection anointment would take place today, saying it was all about the Premier and cabinet, rather than him.
He might have been right but then overruled by those in higher places in the Labor Party.
I doubled down last Monday questioning him a second time on his denials.
Logically, what better occasion than a full cabinet visit to his new patch would be more appropriate to unveil Labor’s new candidate?
Other announcements today included new school infrastructure at Two Wells Primary.
The Premier and his education minister both dropped in to press the flesh.
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But I still question Piccolo’s motives for such a move as sunset approaches on his working life.
Was he pushed out of Light, or did he jump?
Piccolo’s now successful nomination for Frome came with only this explanation.
“Every MP has to do what’s best for their voters,” he said
His own boundary changes have seen a loyal voter chunk move further north.
Pratt questions whether he’s now going to quit as Light MP and not use his taxpayer funded electorate allowance to letterbox drop people in Frome.
“Is he also going to sell his home in Light and move north across the Gawler River into this electorate?” she asks.
My own political senses refuse to believe he would personally chuck in Light after nearly 20 faithful years and a near record parliamentary term for the challenge coming up.
Labor would never acknowledge that he was the fall guy for a younger prospect in Light.
If successful, Piccolo would have been nudging 70 by the 2030 election and that’s not the state Labor “look”.
Pratt claims Labor has been trying to get rid of her opponent for many years.
So, good luck in Frome, Tony – as you may well need it.
If, as I suspect, you fail, it was nice knowing you as a good bloke of politics.
Mike Smithson is weekend presenter and political analyst for 7News.
