Champion, who held the northern seat of Spence (formerly Wakefield) from 2007, is set to enter state parliament as a minister in Premier Peter Malinauskas’s Government, senior insiders have confirmed.

It’s understood a frontbench role was a significant selling point in the Right-faction MP’s decision to shift from federal politics to the state seat of Taylor.

The faction is set to retain control of the state branch, despite longtime Labor Unity powerbroker and state secretary Reggie Martin winning election to the Legislative Council after overseeing a stunningly successful election campaign – with longtime union organiser and former ministerial adviser Aemon Bourke expected to step into the breach.

Bourke – who hails from the Right faction’s Shoppies’ union hub, and whose wife Emily is a Legislative Councillor who joined Labor’s frontbench last year – confirmed that while “there are party processes that need to take place over the coming days… I intend to put my hand up to be the next party state secretary”.

A senior source said Bourke had “played a central role in the campaign”, with his likely elevation part of factional plans “going back for a long while”.

The move is a departure from the party’s common practice of alternating the key role between the Right and Left factions.

Left offsider Steven May, despite some opposition within his own faction, is expected to stay on for now – at least until the party has fought a looming federal campaign.

The federal election is also confusing succession plans in the Liberal camp, with senior state executive members understood to be meeting today – amid suggestions state president Legh Davis could depart.

A possible successor being touted in party circles is former federal MP for Adelaide Trish Worth, who told InDaily the presidency had “been raised with me but I haven’t made any decision on that”.

“There’s no rush – we just need to see how things settle down,” she said.

In the short-term, she said, “I’ll be concentrating on Boothby”, the federal southern suburbs marginal whose ongoing Liberal tenure has been thrown into further doubt after Saturday’s rout.

“I wouldn’t even be contemplating anything else till after that,” she said.

Disgruntled party insiders say moderate-aligned campaign strategists are “trying to blame it all on Omicron” after a COVID wave swept through SA following last year’s border opening.

One said while the border decision was “unfortunate timing… it wasn’t everything”, and the moderate camp should be held to greater account for the campaign than the prospect of jettisoning a state president whose term was up this year in any case.

“If the Left are willing to offer up that scalp as a ritualistic offering, it’s meaningless to them anyway,” one said.

“It was the Premier’s office and state directorate who were in charge of the strategy – or lack thereof.

“The lack of vision, the lack of policy that was coming out of the Government just reflected the four years they were in office… we were very competent managers, but there was still no real direction or vision.

“If this redundant scrap is their offering in acknowledgement of them unilaterally screwing up the entire campaign and the government, it’s not enough.”

Davis did not respond to inquiries today.

While the Liberal hand-wringing continues, Malinauskas today visited the south-east, garnering praise from ex-Liberal independent Troy Bell for keeping a pledge to fly to Mount Gambier within 72 hours of becoming Premier.

Bell said the Labor leader also reiterated to him that around $100 million in spending commitments for the region “was never predicated on being a minority government”.

Malinauskas said he appreciated “that there will be some cynicism attached to that” list of Labor commitments – including a hospital upgrade, drug and alcohol services, additional paramedics and a funding deal for Keith Hospital – with sceptics believing “that it’s something to do with trying to garner the attention of an independent MP”.

“But our commitments weren’t contingent on a minority government situation,” he said.

“I said to the people of Mt Gambier, including Troy Bell, that within 72 hours of being sworn in I’d be right here on the ground…  there’s a lot of work to be done for a newly-elected premier and no shortage of things to do in Adelaide, but I want to make sure this community know we’re serious about delivering for them…

“Adelaide needs Mount Gambier – because when this part of the state realises its potential, everybody benefits.”

Significantly, he also apologised for the former Labor government’s decision to privatise the south-east forestry industry – a move that incensed the local community and cost then-Labor-backing independent Rory McEwen his seat.

“Selling the forests was wrong,” he said.

“But we can’t go back in time.”

Bell welcomed the concession, telling reporters: “Peter Malinauskas rang me about 10pm on Saturday night, saying ‘I’ll be down within 72 hours’”.

“The new premier has honoured the first commitment, and we’re proactively working through the $100 million commitment,” Bell said.

“This is a commitment the Limestone Coast has never seen before from an incoming government… it’s transformational.

Bell and Malinauskas visit a hospital patient in Mount Gambier.

“Politics is about trust [and] so many people came up to me and said ‘he’s going to be too busy’, ‘he’s going to let you down’… well, here he is within 72 hours, making good on the first commitment.”

Counting in key seats has been slow-going today, with little progress this morning in crucial battlegrounds, including Waite, Finniss and former Premier Steven Marshall’s Dunstan electorate.