SA opposition leader steps down before state election in fourth Liberal leadership change nationally in a month | South Australian politics

South Australia’s opposition leader, Vincent Tarzia, has stepped down three months out from the state election, triggering the fourth Liberal leadership change nationally in less than four weeks.

Tarzia announced the surprise decision on Friday, insisting he hadn’t been pushed to quit despite opinion polling suggesting that the Liberals are headed for a comprehensive defeat at the 21 March poll.

Liberal sources said the 34-year-old shadow health minister, Ashton Hurn, was the frontrunner to replace him.

Last week Tarzia insisted he would lead the party to the election and Hurn insisted that she would not challenge him after media reports of disastrous internal polling ignited fresh leadership speculation.

If Hurn does nominate and win, she would become the third new female Liberal leader in a matter of weeks after Jess Wilson ousted Brad Battin in Victoria and Kellie Sloane replaced Mark Speakman in New South Wales.

The Australian Capital Territory Liberals also changed leaders in November, with Mark Parton replacing Leanne Castley.

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Elevated to the top job after the party’s former leader David Spiers quit amid scandal, Tarzia has struggled to cut through with voters or dent the popularity of Labor’s Peter Malinaukas.

Despite rumblings of a pre-election challenge, Tarzia said he was resigning on his own terms.

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“No, no colleague has pushed me,” he told a press conferences at state parliament on Friday. “There’s been no letter, petition signed or anything like that.

“No colleague has told me to step down. This is a decision that I made of my own accord. I’m not going to stand here and complain. We know politics is a tough business.”

Tarzia said he would remain in parliament and try to retain his seat of Hartley in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs.

He declined to nominate his preferred successor but said he was “committed to helping the next leader of the party”.

Asked if he would support Hurn if she won the leadership, Tarzia said: “Whether it’s Ashton or someone else, we’ve got great talent in the party room. We’ve got people that can step into the role, so whoever, ultimately, the party room decides, I will get behind that person, 100%. I leave here with no bitterness whatsoever.”

Hurn was the media boss for the former premier Steven Marshall – including during the Covid-19 pandemic – before winning her own seat in parliament at the 2022 election.

She is the sister of Shannon Hurn, who captained the West Coast Eagles to the 2018 AFL premiership.