‘Extraordinarily bad result’: Liberals lose Black
The Liberal Party has lost its second by-election this year after a huge swing to Labor in the southern suburbs seat of Black, with Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia saying the circumstances of David Speirs’ exit from the seat have “caused damage” to the party.
As of 9pm on Saturday, Labor candidate Alex Dighton had recorded 60.6 per cent of the two-party preferred vote in the southern suburbs seat of Black over Liberal Party candidate Amanda Wilson – a stunning by-election swing which has seen the result called for the government with only 41.9 per cent of votes counted.
The result, which comes before the counting of pre-poll and postal votes, represents an 8.4 per cent swing to Labor and a crushing 17.8 per cent swing against the Liberal Party. Greens candidate Sarah Luscombe has also recorded a 3.8 per cent swing.
Dighton has garnered 46.5 per cent of first preference votes – just under 5000 ballots – compared to Wilson’s 3467 (32.3 per cent).
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia, who personally asked Wilson to run, conceded defeat tonight.
“Unfortunately, it hasn’t been our night in Black,” he said.
“But can I tell you whilst we lost the battle for Black, we’re focused on winning the war in March 2026.
“We have a really positive plan, we put it to the people of Black, but they have sent us a message and we’ve got to listen to that message.
“The Labor Party has run an effective, short, hard campaign. We’ve got to respect the message that’s been sent to us tonight.
“There’s only one way forward and that is to be better.
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“We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be united and focused. We’ve got to be disciplined. And we’ve got sixteen months to turn it around.
“I’m confident that we have the skills and ability to turn it around, but we’ve got to make sure we connect with voters right across the state.”
Tarzia also commented on the circumstances which prompted the by-election, namely former Opposition leader David Speirs’ resignation in October after revelations that he had been arrested and charged with allegedly supplying drugs.
“The circumstances that put us in this very position here… have been unprecedented, they have been absolutely unprecedented, and they have caused damage,” Tarzia said.
“It’s now time for us to heal as a team… we’ve got to be united. We’ve got to be focused. We’ve got to be disciplined.
“We will hold the government to account, and we will continue to unveil policies to make sure that we have a positive alternative set of policies and directions for the people of this state.
“We of course respect the message that has been sent to us by the people of Black – we accept it with great humility.
“We’ve got to learn from them, we will review this result… we do respect it, and we have time to turn the ship around – and we will.”
Speirs had won the seat against Dighton 52.7 per cent to 47.3 per cent at the 2022 state election and was widely considered to have carried a personal vote in the seat.
Premier Peter Malinauskas gave a victory speech on Saturday night.
“My message tonight is a really simple one: I and the whole Labor team are just full of gratitude,” he said.
“Full of gratitude to all of the people that live in this community in the southern suburbs down the hill and up the hill.
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“The experience during the course of this campaign has just been thoroughly enjoyable. This is a community full of hardworking South Australian families who have some really honest aspirations to make sure they live in a community that is connected, where people look out for one another and there is a sense of opportunity for a future generations of South Australians.
“And from my perspective, that’s completely aligned with this government’s agenda.”
The result is a huge blow for the Liberal Party, which now only has 13 members in parliament compared to Labor’s 28.
The prospects of a Tarzia-led Opposition returning to government in 2026 now look especially bleak, with the Black result compounding the party’s loss of former Premier Steven Marshall’s seat of Dunstan in March.
The Malinauskas Government, meanwhile, looks more dominant than ever. Before this year, no state government had won a by-election from an Opposition in 116 years – the Malinauskas Government has won two.
“Labor will be delighted with this result,” said political commentator and University of Adelaide emeritus professor Clement Macintyre.
“To win a seat that was marginal at the last election in such a comprehensive fashion two and a half years into a Labor government, to take two seats from the Opposition at by-elections in the course of one parliament is unprecedented.
“The fact that they appear… to have won it so comprehensively, leaves the Liberal Party facing some very serious questions about their appeal to the South Australian voters.”
Macintyre said there were “clearly huge implications” for the direction of the Liberal Party.
He also said the result raised questions over whether the party could take back the seat of Boothby at the next federal election.
“It’s not the end of the party, but it’s an extraordinarily bad result for the Liberal Party,” he said.
“I have no doubt that the Liberal Party will try and explain this result away by shifting blame to the former member, David Speirs, and the circumstances in which he chose to stand down from the seat.
“But there are clearly huge implications for the direction that the Liberal Party appear to have taken in recent years.”
Macintyre said Labor is “as strong now as it’s ever been”, adding that there is “no doubt that Labor’s long period of political dominance looks set to be extended for a further period”.
“Peter Malinauskas as Labor leader has taken his party into a position of authority and power that (former premiers Don) Dunstan and (John) Bannon at their peak, (Mike) Rann at his peak, hoped for.
“Malinauskas as leader of the Labor Party has returned unambiguously Labor to a position of extraordinary political authority and power in South Australia.
“Whether this is a good thing… remains to be seen, because strong democracy needs a strong opposition.
“And at the moment, the Liberal Party appear like they are unable to provide that strong opposition.”
