Will SA Libs see a band of breakaway MPs step to the left?

Mike Smithson mulls over a hardline Liberal conservative airing rumours of a breakaway group forming in SA — and war in the Middle East threatening costs to the new Women’s and Children’s hospital.

The brutal mutilation of the Liberal’s parliamentary ranks only fully dawned on me last week on the North Terrace footpath outside State Parliament.

I was involved in promotional filming unrelated to political events of the day, when Liberal Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn and her newly minted shadow cabinet emerged from the hallowed halls to walk across the Torrens footbridge for a team unveiling.

‘So, this is it?’ I thought to myself.

Eleven people representing the Liberal’s state joint party room from both chambers of parliament following the March state election. It did not present an imposing image.

In final voting results, five Libs have been elected to the 47 seat Lower House, with two MLC candidates being re-elected to the Upper House joining the four existing members who were not up for re-election.

It will be an enormous task for any, or all, of the Liberal team to hold the government to account with this meagre offering over the next four years.

Almost 30 separate and important sectors of government all with departments, staff, budgets and constant problem areas, are now shared between 11 shadow ministers.

Health, on its own, virtually takes metropolitan seat winner Jack Batty out of the bigger picture of shadow portfolios.

It is always a battle to engage with key bureaucrats when you are straining to be heard from opposition, but especially when the workload is far greater than ever experienced before.

Throw in the other thorny issue that three of the........

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