Libs make ‘worst-kept secret’ partnership official
The Liberal party has announced their candidates for Waite and MacKillop, running their “worst-kept secret” legislative councillor Frank Pangallo and a Robe local.
Pangallo will officially join the party from Tuesday, filling its ranks in the Legislative Council, before aiming to switch houses and win the spot as Waite’s MP at the March election.
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia and Pangallo made the official announcement on Sunday, after rumours of the partnership started swirling in early July.
On Instagram, Tarzia described the move as the party’s “worst-kept secret”, in a post that referenced Taylor Swift’s recent album announcement.
A reel of Tarzia making the announcement was interspersed with clips of Jason Kelce reacting to the news of Swift’s latest album on the New Heights podcast, while another post adapted the text overlay “The Life of a Politician” in the style of Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl”.
Watch the video:
Pangallo, a former journalist, was elected to the Legislative Council in 2018 as part of Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party and would have been up for re-election anyway as his eight-year term comes to an end.
He said South Australians shouldn’t write off the Liberal party at the next election because the party has “a lot of good talent”.
“I’ve worked with that team in that parliament, I’ve worked with them on parliamentary committees, they’ve got a lot of good talent there, and they’ve got a lot to give to South Australia, so don’t go writing them off at the next election,” he said.
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Labor currently holds the seat of Waite with MP Catherine Hutchesson, who defeated exiled Liberal-turned-independent member Sam Duluk and then-candidate, now Liberal state director Alexander Hyde, for the spot in 2022.
Mud slung at “flip-flop Frank”
The Labor party were quick to respond to the announcement, with Government Business Manager Tom Koutsantonis calling the Liberal-Pangallo partnership “desperate”.
“It says everything about the shambolic state of the SA Liberal Party that they couldn’t find any Liberals to run in Waite, so they had to settle for Frank Pangallo,” Koutsantonis said.
“Both are as desperate as each other.”
Koutsantonis dubbed him “Flip-Flop Frank”, pointing out “this will be Frank’s third political affiliation in this term alone, having been a member of SA Best, then an Independent and now a Liberal”.
Responding to the comments, Pangallo said, “I’m not flip-flop Frank at all”.
“I knew they were going to throw mud at me, right?
“I was with SA Best when I came in, and there were issues with that party that I didn’t align with, and I was unhappy about, and they didn’t meet my expectations for integrity and honesty, which is why I left.
“And that’s what I stand for, honesty and integrity, and I didn’t have that with that, so I went, and that’s the reason I went in there, and I’ve maintained those values for the last two years, and I intend to maintain those values as a Liberal candidate.
“That’s what I’m there for, and that’s why I’ve joined the party.”
Pangallo has previously opposed the Liberal Party policy of deregulating shop trading hours and believes pokies should be better regulated.
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Pangallo, along with SA Best legislative councillor Connie Bonaros, previously said a 2019 state government move to allow note-collecting pokie machines was a “vulgar reward” for the hotel industry’s support of the Marshall Government during the 2018 election.
When asked on Sunday about his policy platform, Pangallo said he’ll adhere to Liberal policies and that on the pokies, he thinks “even Vincent and the Liberal party can see that there needs to be some reform”.
“The Liberal party is a broad church and they work with all types of views, no, I’ve been given no direction about changing whatever,” Pangallo said.
Tarzia said he’s not concerned about Pangallo’s historic jabs at the party, and “in any team, you’ve got to have different roles for different team players”.
“Frank is a team player, he’s dynamic, he’s got great runs on the board,” Tarzia said.
Robe’s Rosser to take on MacKillop
Robe local Rebekah Rosser was announced as the Liberal’s candidate in the south-east seat of MacKillop.
Rosser was raised in Robe and recently moved back, building a tourism business with her husband, Andrew.
From 2000-2007 she worked as a senior ministerial advisor in government and opposition, including a role as secretary of the federal agricultural committee during the Australia-United States free trade agreement negotiations.
Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said Rosser is an example of “high calibre” talent running for the party.
“Rebekah’s experience in the Olsen and Howard Governments, together with her commercial acumen will bring important skills to the Parliament,” Tarzia said.
Rosser said she’s pleased to run for the seat and support those in the regions.
“We have a real ability to bring back strong representation for our electorate, into things that will make a difference for us here, like long-term funding for our regional roads and aged care funding that will support people to stay in their own homes,” she said.
“While the local member has been distracted with personal issues, only the Liberal team has skilled people ready to hit the ground running.”
MacKillop is typically a safe Liberal seat, and its current member Nick McBride was elected with the party at a safe 22.6 per cent margin.
McBride quit the party in 2023 to sit as an independent, and has said he plans to run in March while assault charges against him are before the court.
McBride was charged with three counts of assault against his wife in April, and the matter is expected to continue in the courts until 2026. McBride has denied the allegations.
