SA Liberals to vote on leadership

Embattled South Australian opposition leader Martin Hamilton-Smith will put his
position to a vote to decide his future within the Liberal party.
Mr Hamilton-Smith has called an extraordinary joint parliamentary party meeting for
Saturday, amid growing dissent among Liberals over his performance.
He will be challenged for his job by deputy Vickie Chapman.
"My determination is to serve the people of South Australia, I took up this job for
that purpose and I intend to see it through," a defiant Mr Hamilton-Smith told
reporters on Tuesday.
"We have until recently been a tight group, well-disciplined, well-organised and
focused.
"The past weeks of controversy and disunity must come to an end."
Ms Chapman welcomed the decision to resolve the ongoing leadership issues and
believed she offered the opposition the best chance of winning the next state
election in March, 2010.
"I will be putting my name forward at the meeting to lead the Liberal parliamentary
party," she said.
"This decision follows conversations I have had with my colleagues and our mutual
desire to give our party the best chance at the next election."
Speculation surrounding Mr Hamilton-Smith's leadership began several weeks ago when
he tendered documents in state parliament accusing the Labor government of accepting
illegal donations from a group with ties to the Church of Scientology.
The documents turned out to be fakes and the Liberal leader has since apologised to
Premier Mike Rann and other government officials, who have threatened defamation
action.
But Mr Hamilton-Smith's popularity dipped further on the weekend when a newspaper
poll suggested the opposition was set to be decimated at the March election.
It prompted former environment spokesman Mitch Williams to quit the frontbench,
declaring the leader's position untenable.
Mr Williams said he would not contest the leadership ballot and would "probably not"
stand for the deputy's position as it would mean giving up his rural lifestyle.
"If Martin is successful in the leadership I don't think he would want me to be his
deputy and if Vickie is successful I'm not too sure that I would be willing to give
up my lifestyle," he told AAP.