A South Australian Liberal Party vote has seen former opposition health spokesperson Ashton Hurn picked as the party’s new leader, giving her months to rally troops before the state election.

In a Monday morning meeting at Parliament House, the member for the Barossa Valley seat of Schubert was voted in unanimously to lead the party.

Hurn later said she would consider a new leadership team over the next few days and her focus was on the state election, adding that she believed Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas “thinks he’s got this in the bag”.

“A fresh leader does bring a fresh approach and I will take the time over the next couple of days to assemble my shadow leadership team,” she said.

“I’m keen to keep some continuity but there will be some changes.”

The 34-year-old is the party’s third leader in 16 months and is now one of five women leaders of the Liberal Party at federal, state or territory level.

Former Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia, who resigned on Friday, immediately told InDaily after the announcement: “I wish Ashton all the best leading the Liberal Party to the election next year.”

Hurn told a press conference she would speak with Tarzia about what he hoped to contribute as the party worked toward a “healthier South Australia” along with lower costs and one with safer communities.

She also said a Liberal Party would repeal the SA’s First Nations Voice to Parliament if elected.

The long-tipped future leader has now taken the top job as recent polling shows a landslide result in favour of Labor with 103 days to go before South Australians vote.

“I’d like to take this moment just to sincerely thank our former leader Vincent Tarzia for his dedication and his service over the last 16 months he’s been leader – he’s done a fantastic job and I thank him sincerely for his service,” Hurn said on Monday.

“There is no doubt that we have an absolute mountain to climb between now and next March, but my team and I are absolutely committed to making sure that we get to work for people of South Australia and that we provide them with a real choice at the next election.

“We have a huge mountain to climb but it’s not over until it’s over.”

Former leader Tarzia quit the leadership at 5pm on Friday, saying he wanted to focus on his young family and his local community in the seat of Hartley.

Rumours had been swirling for weeks about a potential leadership change to Hurn but at a joint press conference last Wednesday, both Hurn and Tarzia rejected any prospect of this happening before the state election in March next year.

Hurn today said she was “genuinely shocked” by Tarzia’s decision on Friday to step down.

Deputy Leader Josh Teague – who will remain in the role – told a press conference last week that Tarzia decided to step down “entirely on his own” and to suggest there was any betrayal of Tarzia “is a malicious lie”.

Hurn is the fourth Leader of the Liberal Party since the last election, including Steven Marshall and David Speirs, who resigned last year after facing charges.

Hurn previously worked in Steven Marshall’s office when he was SA Premier.

She said today she had spoken with both Marshall and Speirs over the past few days.

–InDaily