As voters prepare to shape the future of the region for the next four years, a record nine candidates will contest the seat of MacKillop at the state election on March 21.
Early voting begins at 8am on March 14.
The declaration of nominations and the draw for ballot paper positions were held earlier last week, setting the stage for one of the most crowded contests the electorate has seen.
The nine candidates, listed in their ballot paper order, are:
- One Nation’s Jason Virgo a security guard and Mount Gambier councillor
- Independent Nick McBride pastoralist and the sitting MP
- The Greens’ Cathy Olsson a former speech pathologist with a family farm at Padthaway
- Australian Family Party’s Joanna Day
- Independent Steven Davies
- The Nationals Jonathan Pietzsch farmer and acting mayor of the Coorong Council
- Legalise Cannabis South Australia Party’s Tim Green
- Liberal Party candidate Rebekah Rosser Robe small business owner
- Labor’s Mark Braes mediator and former Wattle Range mayor
Five of the nine candidates faced off at a MacKillop candidates forum organised by the South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) at the Naracoorte Town Hall on March 3.
Road maintenance, rare earth mining, housing shortages, childcare and early childhood education, health services, water supply, immigration, jobs, and telecommunications emerged as the key issues for the electorate.
Incumbent independent MP Nick McBride and Liberal candidate Rebekah Rosser both pointed to childcare and after-school care shortages as a major barrier for families considering moving to the region.
The planned rollout of 27 additional mobile phone towers across the region was both praised and criticised during the forum.
Mr McBride highlighted his advocacy in securing the towers, while Ms Rosser argued the rollout had taken too long and many towers were still yet to be delivered.
Mr McBride said the chances of Labor winning the election were “very high” and argued he was the candidate best positioned to work with the government.
He claimed the Liberals would suffer their worst defeat at this election.
One Nation candidate Jason Virgo took aim at the state opposition, calling the Liberals a “hopeless mass” and saying the state needed a fiercely effective opposition.
Mr Virgo said he would push for more jobs for young people so they could save for a home and build a future in the region.
On mining, he said he would ensure the farmers right to farm was legislated so their land is not taken for mining activities.
Nationals candidate Jonathan Pietzsch said decentralising the population from metropolitan Adelaide was a priority if he were elected.
He said health services were at the top of his agenda, adding that the perception in local communities that the Limestone Coast Local Health Network was triaging patients to city hospitals needed to change.
On housing, Mr Pietzsch said MacKillop needed to unlock more housing blocks and he would work with local councils to free land for development.
Ms Rosser said MacKillop needed to better position its narrative in Adelaide and do more to promote the electorate.
She said her public relations background better positioned her to advocate for the region.
Labor candidate Mark Braes pointed to the strong interest shown in the Limestone Coast by premier Peter Malinauskas, noting he had visited the region 16 times since taking office.
Mr Braes said there had been “a lot of scare tactics” surrounding the issue of mining in the region.
He said many people, including politicians, were getting ahead of themselves on the issue.
Mr Braes said the current government had already delivered for MacKillop and a vote for him would mean the extension of that work.
The five candidates present also agreed that, regardless of the election outcome, the MacKillop electorate office would remain in Naracoorte.
The forum was moderated by SAFPA chief executive Nathan Paine and attended by about 50 people.
This article appeared in The Naracoorte News, 11 March 2026.
