Re-elected Liberal Member for MacKillop Nick McBride has not ruled out standing for the position of Opposition Leader.
Mr McBride has spoken in the public domain of the wash-up to his party’s heavy defeat in the State Election on Saturday.
The first-term MP was the best-performing of his party’s 47 candidates in terms of first preference votes.
Outgoing Premier Steven Marshall has resigned as Liberal Party leader while latest polling suggests up to eight members of the cabinet might be unseated.
The re-elected MacKillop MP is a member of the minority Conservative faction of the Liberal Party.
The last local MP to be Opposition leader was the late Liberal Dale Baker between 1990 and 1992.
Former Member for Millicent the late Des Corcoran was representing a city seat when he served as Labor Premier in 1979.
Mr McBride won every booth in his expanded electorate.
Millicent resident and one-time Wattle Range Mayor Mark Braes was pre-selected for Labor in January.
Mr Braes ran a low-key campaign, captured 20.8% of the primary vote and achieved a 2.3% swing to the Labor party.
One Nation’s Pam Geihr had a first preference voting share of 8.1% while Family First’s Dayle Baker had 5% and the Nationals Jonathan Pietzsch had 4.8%.
Mr McBride said he was honoured and humbled to be re-elected as the Liberal Member for MacKillop.
“I have fought hard to get results for MacKillop, but I know there is much more that needs to be done,” Mr McBride said.
“While I am obviously disappointed in the result for the Liberal Party, this does not diminish my resolve to keep working for the people who have put their trust in me.
“I am looking forward to the challenge of the next four years.
“I am committed to getting results on roads, health, education, housing and communications.
“The Limestone Coast and Mallee region are so important to the economic success of the state.
“I will work to ensure that our region gets a fair share of funding.”
Meanwhile, the South East region will be well represented in the new State Cabinet by Port MacDonnell resident Clare Scriven and former Mount Gambier resident Kyam Maher.
There is speculation in political circles that former Glencoe resident Leon Bignell might return to the ministry as reward for making his Mawson electorate a safe seat for Labor.
Former Mount Gambier teacher Penny Pratt will enter the House of Assembly as the Liberal member for the mid-north seat of Frome.
The election marked the end of the 40-year parliamentary career of Liberal MLC and outgoing Treasurer Rob Lucas who spent his formative years in the Blue Lake city.
New Labor MP for Adelaide Lucy Hood spent her formative years in Naracoorte.
Her brother Ben Hood was the unsuccessful Liberal candidate for Mount Gambier.
