Lee was handed the number four spot on the Liberals’ Upper House ticket when preselections were finalised on Friday, behind the party’s Legislative Council leader David Ridgway, frontbencher Stephen Wade and Ridgway’s factional ally Terry Stephens. It is effectively the status quo, with former Giles candidate, Whyalla real estate agent Bernadette Abraham, handed the highly unlikely fifth spot.

But Hamilton-Smith contacted InDaily to argue that with the seemingly inexorable political force of the Nick Xenophon Team likely to factor heavily in the next state poll, the Liberals risk failing to get their top four candidates re-elected – and argues the party should have made a statement by preselecting Lee ahead of Stephens.

“I recruited Jing into the party and she’s probably one of the best they’ve got,” he said.

“She’s a massive fundraiser and a terrific conduit with the multicultural community… she’s probably the hardest working of all the Legislative Council members I’ve seen.

“To put her at number four on the ticket is incredibly disappointing, and signals the party’s positioning for 2018… she may not win that seat, particularly if Xenophon puts in a strong showing, and the Liberal Party would lose one of its best assets.”

Stephens has held a raft of shadow ministries, including Aboriginal Affairs, Sport, Small Business, Tourism and Gambling, but he has not returned to the shadow cabinet since losing his spot in 2011. However, it’s understood he took the third spot on the Liberal ticket by a considerable margin over Lee.

Hamilton-Smith noted he is “a strong supporter of David Ridgway and his leadership”, arguing the “ticket sequence probably reflects David desire to underline his leadership”.

But Ridgway responded: “I don’t think so.”

He hit back at Hamilton-Smith, the former leader who sensationally quit the party in 2014 to bolster the Weatherill Government’s slender majority.

“I think the person you’ve talked about is probably one of the main reasons we’re not in Government, because of the instability he caused,” he told InDaily.

“The four members of parliament [preselected] are still relatively young and all still have a contribution to make… in the end, Jing was elected at number four last time, and our state council decided to reinstall all of us [in the same order].

“I was not at all surprised that was the order… everyone brings different things to the table.”

Asked whether the ticket represented factional machinations, with moderate-aligned Wade and Lee playing second fiddle to their conservative colleagues, Ridgway said: “It’s a combination of everything… I don’t believe it is.”

“Everyone had their hand up to run, the state council made their decision – it’s an internal party matter,” he said.

Stephens did not want to elaborate on what he said was an internal matter, saying only: “It is what it is… I’m happy that I’ve been respected by my party – they know the work I do, and we’re a pretty good team.”

“As far as Martin Hamilton-Smith goes, every time he comments on Liberal Party affairs, most people just laugh,” he said.

Ridgway denied the Xenophon factor would be an issue, arguing the now-Senator was also “fairly active” when he managed to get running mate Ann Bressington elected in 2006.

“I don’t believe four [seats] will be any more difficult to win than in the past, and I’m quite confident we’ll get four elected,” Ridgway said.

Unfortunately though, the election he referred to saw Xenophon almost outpoll the Liberals in the Upper House, where the Opposition only returned three candidates – Rob Lucas, John Dawkins and Michelle Lensink.

Lee was not available for comment before publication.