Australian Federal Police makes call on SA Liberal Party assault threat
Police have responded to a reported threat of violence at an SA Liberal Party meeting amid internal turmoil over the election of a new President.
A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police has confirmed with InDaily that a criminal investigation into alleged intimidatory comments made by a man towards a fellow SA Liberal Party member would not go ahead.
In a statement, the spokesperson said the law enforcement organisation had “assessed the matter” but “determined it does not meet the threshold for a criminal offence”.
It follows media reports that a supporter of SA Liberal Federal Senator Alex Antic allegedly made threats of violence to a colleague at a party meeting.
Last week, South Australian Liberal Party state director Alex Hyde told InDaily that the party “has received no complaints alleging threats of violence” in relation to turmoil in the party over its upcoming annual general meeting in August.
“Nor have we had contact from any law enforcement agency related to any such allegations,” Hyde, who became interim state director before winning the role after moderate-aligned Alex May resigned in 2024, said.
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Hyde was contacted for comment on the AFP statement today.
The AFP statement comes amid a tense standoff within the SA Liberal Party over its future leadership, to be decided at the party’s August 29 Annual General Meeting.
In July, InDaily revealed Antic was likely a shoo-in as the party’s next President, a senior Liberal source telling this masthead that the moderate faction was struggling to find a contender to run against the maverick Senator.
No other candidate has put their hand up to rival Antic at the upcoming meeting, with current President and SA Senator Leah Blyth distancing herself last week from being in the running.
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Blyth had been earlier delivered a terse threat over standing for the role again from a senior party source who refused to be named, the source telling InDaily “There is no Blyth and Antic tussle, because Blyth’s career would be totally finished if there was one”.
“I think she’d be the shortest serving Liberal Senator from South Australia if that were to happen, and so isn’t going to,” the source said.
Blyth is in the conservative faction; she won a spot in the federal Senate in 2025 and has been President of the Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division) since August 2024.
Antic is set to headline a Liberal Women’s Council event tomorrow, with controversial anti-abortion lobbyist Joanna Howe, who has been banned from the SA Legislative Council chambers after allegedly putting pressure on state politicians, also speaking.
InDaily understands the women’s council – which gets 13 votes on picking the party’s next state president – will back Antic at the party’s August 29 Annual General Meeting.
Federal Leader Angus Taylor is yet to reveal if he is backing Blyth or Antic who has said One Nation “are not enemies” and left the door open to a defection in the past.
SA Liberal Leader Ashton Hurn told InDaily last week that “there’s still quite some time for all of the nominations to come through, and the membership will ultimately make their decision, and I’ll be working with whatever makeup with the state executive we have.”
While Taylor is yet to say who he is backing as SA Liberal President, former SA Liberal and conservative MP Nicolle Flint was also understood to be considering running for the position, though this was disputed by the source.
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