Former lower house speaker Josh Teague has confirmed he will seek the Liberal Party leadership following last month's election drubbing.
Mr Teague says he told colleagues this morning he would nominate for the post when the party room meets.
"Working together we must rebound from the election loss and win in 2026."
South-east MP Nick McBride has previously indicated that he would contest the leadership ballot.
"I suspected this nomination coming forward," Mr McBride said of Mr Teague's decision.
"And [I] welcome the need for a ballot/election."
Former environment minister David Speirs has been considered a front-runner for the job without officially nominating.
The Liberals today announced Tuesday, April 19 — the day after Easter Monday — as the date for a party room meeting to elect a new leadership line-up.
Labor waited more than three weeks after its 2018 election defeat to formally elect Peter Malinauskas — who is now Premier — as opposition leader.
Yesterday, Infrastructure Minister and Manager of Government Business Tom Koutsantonis lashed the Liberal opposition for the time it is taking to settle on its new leader.
"Holiday's over. Get back to work. The people of South Australia have elected an opposition and none of them have turned up for work yet," the minister said.
Former premier Steven Marshall has been acting as Opposition Leader since the election on an interim basis.
Josh Teague took over as House of Assembly speaker in 2020 in the wake of the country members accommodation allowance saga, which saw then-speaker Vincent Tarzia elevated to Steven Marshall's cabinet following the resignations of Stephan Knoll and Tim Whetstone.
Mr Teague was then deposed from the chair amid a late-night coup involving the cross bench and Labor-opposition last October when ex-Liberal Dan Cregan was installed as speaker.
Mr Teague represents the electorate of Heysen in the Adelaide Hills.
Like many Liberal MPs, he suffered a significant swing against him on March 19 and his electorate is now considered marginal.
