Liberals' Election Defeat: Unity, Greens' Gains

0:00It's March 23rd, welcome to Sydney News today, powered by AI. The South Australian Liberal Party suffered a major defeat in the recent state election, securing just four seats in the lower house. Their primary vote plummeted into single digits in several Adelaide suburbs where candidates trailed both one nation and the Greens. This marks a sharp drop from previous wins, handing one nation unexpected gains. Counting dragged on into Monday, revealing even steeper declines in seats like Davenport and Elder. There, Liberal support fell from over 40% in the last election to around 14 to 18%, placing them third or worse behind. Minor parties. Former Liberal heavyweights. Christopher Pine and Alexander Downer jumped into the fray, urging factions to unite. Pine, a moderate, called for constitutional tweaks to end winner, takes all internal battles in foster collaboration. Alexander echoed that, saying public factional sniping helped cause the loss in must-stop.

1:00Meanwhile, the Greens notch their strongest state result ever, pulling 10 to 11% of the lower house vote, up from last time. Leader Robert Simm sees a real chance for a second upper-house seat as preferences play out. With liberals clinging to slim leads in two more seats, these recrimination signal tough rebuilding ahead for the party and a shifting political.