Three issues have dominated social policy debate across recent South Australian parliamentary terms — voluntary assisted dying, the decriminalisation of sex work and abortion.
They’ve sparked multiple rallies on North Terrace, late night sittings, thousands of signatures on petitions, as well as dividing opinions within political parties.
Laws around two of the three issues — voluntary assisted dying and abortion — were significantly changed last term, when the Liberal party was in power.
Yet a conservative member of the now-opposition argues abortion legislation needs to be revisited once more, despite having only been in operation for just over two years.
Ben Hood has not only reignited public debate around abortion laws in SA, but his move has also given oxygen to smouldering internal Liberal tensions, even though the issue is considered a matter of conscience for MPs.
The shadow minister and south-east local believes his private member’s bill “offers an alternative approach” to how late-term abortions are handled under the existing laws.
His amendments would see people who want to terminate a pregnancy from 27 weeks and six days instead deliver the baby alive rather than it being stillborn.
“What we are doing is trying to balance the rights of the woman to be able to choose the termination of pregnancy, but also the rights of the child,” Mr Hood said last week.
State Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia said the proposed changes around late-term terminations were not party policy, but a matter for individuals.
Other Liberal colleagues, including moderate legislative councillor Michelle Lensink, were more forthright in their views about Mr Hood’s plan.
“We see a lot of interesting things in the parliament from time to time,” she said last Tuesday of Mr Hood’s bill.
“This one would have to be up there as one of the worst pieces of legislation that I’ve seen drafted.”
The former housing minister helped introduce the previous abortion reforms to parliament, which decriminalised the practice and allows for late-term terminations after assessment from two medical professionals.
The abortion changes came into effect before Mr Hood entered SA’s upper house, where he’s been a member for just on 18 months.
And his rise has been relatively rapid.
Within five months, he was made a shadow assistant minster before taking over the transport, infrastructure and government accountability portfolios in last month’s reshuffle, sparked by then-leader David Speirs’s resignation.
Mr Hood is also representative of the changing of the guard for the party in South Australia.
He’s from the right — or conservative — Liberal faction, which includes politicians like Senator Alex Antic, federal MP Tony Pasin, and former member for Boothby and now candidate for the seat, Nicolle Flint.
Like in other parts of the country, in recent years the right has gained increased control of the South Australian Liberal division from moderates, from sub-branch level through to the state executive.
While that hasn’t fully translated to control of the state parliamentary team, the right’s block of votes was key to helping Mr Tarzia succeed Mr Speirs last month.
Questions raised about timing
Some Liberal figures have suggested to ABC News the leadership change emboldened the right to push for the abortion reforms, with the faction unhappy with how the issue was handled during the Steven Marshall-led government.
Others say Mr Hood’s bill was in the works for some time before Mr Tarzia’s installation as opposition leader, but the timing of its release has raised questions internally and externally.
On the same day news broke of Mr Hood’s plan, pre-selections for Liberal-held state seats opened ahead of the 2026 election.
Deputy Premier Susan Close pondered his motivations, and if there was a connection between the two events.
“He’s engaging in the sort of internal party politics designed presumably for pre-selections that are going on right now, rather than genuine reform,” she said.
Mr Hood denied he was playing politics with the issue of abortion.
“The lower house pre-selections opened … I am in the upper house. In fact, I find it quite offensive,” he said.
“This is something that I’ve been passionate about for a number of years, even prior to getting into politics.”
That may be the case, but some Liberals privately say the latest abortion push is a distraction and as damaging internally as other events of the last two months.
Let’s not forget that includes having Mr Speirs quit, followed by a contested leadership ballot, then the publication of footage appearing to show him snorting off a plate through a rolled-up bank note which he said was a “deepfake”.
And like many previous attempts at social policy reform down the years, the latest abortion debate may lead nowhere from a legislative perspective.
It’s far from certain Mr Hood’s bill has the support needed to pass the Legislative Council — let alone the lower house — should it end up being debated there.