Liberals divided on housing policy

The shambolic SA Liberal Party is divided on housing policy, with leader Vincent Tarzia claiming he wants more housing closer to the city while one of his own frontbenchers is organising a protest against a housing development on the fringe of the CBD.

By contrast, the Malinauskas Labor Government is united in its commitment to build more homes for South Australians.

Last month, the State Government approved a code amendment that will add an additional 200 homes at Glenside in a development site that will accommodate more than 1000 homes. The decision follows extensive community consultation and detailed investigations into traffic, heritage, infrastructure and social impacts.

Liberal Member for Bragg Jack Batty has organised an anti-development protest at Glenside to try and stop homes being built. In doing so, he is openly defying his leader Vincent Tarzia, who last month claimed the Liberal Party wanted more housing close to the city.

“We want young people to have the option to live close to their workplaces, close to their families, close to universities, close to their communities. Not everyone wants to live an hour away from the city.”
– Vincent Tarzia’s budget reply speech, 17 June 2025.

In further signs of Liberal Party division, Batty has removed references to the Liberal Party from his website and social media accounts. (images below)

The homepage of his website previously said he was “A new generation Liberal working for our community”. It now says he is “Our strong local voice”.

Similarly, the bio on his Instagram account has recently changed from “Liberal Member for Bragg” to “Member for Bragg – Our Strong Local Voice”.

Quotes

Attributable to Blair Boyer

We know the shambolic SA Liberals are bitterly divided, and the latest example is housing policy.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is united in its commitment to build more homes for South Australians.

By contrast, Liberal frontbenchers are holding anti-housing rallies while the Liberal Leader claims the Liberals support more housing closer to the city.

Jack Batty’s website

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Jack Batty’s Instagram

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