Nick McBride, Member for MacKillop (SA), Naracoorte Community News

I have come to the conclusion that it is no longer tenable for me to remain in the Liberal party.

I have been a proud member of this party for more than 30 years, so this has been an extremely difficult decision for me.

I believe my constituents and electorate will be better served by me working as the Independent Member for MacKillop.

My primary aim is to achieve better outcomes for the people of the MacKilllop electorate.

I believe a party should work together regardless of individual beliefs to achieve good results for their community.

Despite what the Liberal party may say, there are factional pressures at play which have resulted in disunity.

I understand some people may be disappointed with my decision, given I was elected as a Liberal member.

I hope those people can understand I have found it increasingly difficult to represent the party that I believe is trying to ostracise one of its own.

At the 2022 election I won 62.3 percent of first preference votes – the highest in the state.

On a two-party preferred basis, I received the second highest number of votes at 72.6 percent.

I believe this is testament to the work my election team and I had done – supported by my hardworking office staff.

Despite what people may think, winning the seat of MacKillop was not easy.

Prior to the election, MacKillop constituents and the cross-border community were battered by the restrictions put in place by my Liberal Government.

During this time there was little support offered to assist, and even back then, I questioned my position in a Liberal party that wouldn’t listen.

More recently, these factions in the party have re-visited my seat of MacKillop and have now removed the very team that worked so hard to see me re-elected.

I no longer have the core support required in the Liberal party, and as I have said, I believe my position as a Liberal is untenable.

Five weeks ago I was pressured by the Liberal party into signing a statement re-affirming my commitment to them.

This was at the same time when unfounded rumours circulated regarding a deal offered to me to join the Labor ministry. I re-iterate now, this was never the case. While I know this will be denied, I believe there were people working behind the scenes to discredit me.

I now believe the electors in MacKillop will be best served by an Independent Member who isn’t aligned to a particular party.

An Independent who will focus on the issues that matter in the region – such as affordable housing, improved health care, childcare availability, education, cost of living pressures, industry (forestry, agriculture and fishing) regional roads and transport, telecommunications, energy and coastal erosion.

In my maiden speech to Parliament in 2018, I spoke of my election motto being ‘substance, not spin.’

In the 5 years since being elected, I don’t believe I have wavered from that motto. I am a firm believer in doing what is right – and representing the people of my electorate.

I am tired of the games and the infighting of party politics, and I want to concentrate on working on what is good for my constituents, rather than what is good for the party.

This involves having – and building – relationships with all sides of politics.

The MacKillop Electorate’s importance to the State’s economy should never be forgotten.

I believe that as an Independent – I will be able to deliver results that lead to an even stronger electorate.

I am excited about my future as an Independent and I look forward to communicating a clear strategy that ensures MacKillop receives a fair share of funding that shapes the success of our community.

I look forward to contesting the next Election in 2026 as the Independent Member for MacKillop.

This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
Related story: Response to McBride defection