‘A new dawn’: Liberals back in power in South Australia after 16 years

It’s been a long time coming but last night, South Australia elected a new Premier.

After 16 years of Labor being in power, Steven Marshall was declared the champion at Saturday’s state election. As well as beating Labor and kicking Jay Weatherill out of the top spot, the Liberals have also dismissed calls to challenge the SA-BEST Party and Nick Xenophon. It is the first time since 1997 that Xenophon doesn’t actually have a seat in parliament. In fact, it looks as though the SA-BEST party hasn’t secured any of the 47 seats in the lower house.

Speaking at a party to the chants of his own name, Premier-elect Marshall confirmed that Weatherill called him to concede defeat. “I’ve just had a call about a half an hour ago from Jay Weatherill and he rang to offer his congratulations to the Liberal team,” he said.

“I would like to thank Jay Weatherill for his call, I would like to thank him for his service to the people of South Australia and for his six years as premier of this state. It’s a tough job, but I’ll tell you what, I’m really looking forward to it.”

After thanking the voters of South Australia for putting their trust in him and the Liberal team, Marshall promised that “a new dawn” was on the horizon. He later took to Facebook to share some photos of the night and to guarantee the state that he has South Australia’s best interests at heart.

“As your next Premier, I will work with my team to improve the lives of all South Australians and give everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential,” he wrote. “Thank you for your support.”

Labor had previously been in power in South Australia since 2002, with Weatherill in the top job since 2011. He conceded defeat at around 10pm on Saturday evening, with Marshall and the Liberals securing the majority of seats.

Weatherill also took to Facebook, promising that the Labor Party will be back. “Labor gave our all in this 2018 election campaign, but we have fallen short of an historic fifth term,” he wrote. “There are not too many more important things in this role than leaving the state in a better position than you found it – and we can say that with our heads held up high.

“It has been a privilege to serve you as Premier, and I thank all of you who led and supported Labor. We’ll be back.”

What do you think? Are you shocked by the results of the South Australian election?