The Liberal Party has extended its lead in the state by-election for the South Australian electorate of Bragg.
Counting of pre-polling and postal votes today has seen Jack Batty's lead increase to 53.4 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis.
Labor's Alice Rolls is on 46.6 per cent.
Mr Batty claimed victory on the weekend.
Opposition Leader David Speirs said he was relieved the Liberal Party had retained the seat, especially because many voters would have considered it an unnecessary election.
The former Member for Bragg, Vickie Chapman, announced she was quitting on the same day Mr Speirs became leader.
"There's no doubt the Liberal Party's been given a bit of a bloody nose in this by-election," Mr Speirs said this morning.
"That's what happens often in by-elections, especially unnecessary ones, and the good people of Bragg would have deemed this to be a fairly unnecessary by-election."
He said the result should not be extrapolated to South Australia as a whole.
"I don't think we can take a by-election result, triggered right after an election, following the departure of a long-term incumbent, as a read on electors' views of the Liberal Party at the moment," he said.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said it was "a very strong result for Labor."
"It's a substantial swing to us so I'm still finding it hard to compute that Bragg is now officially a marginal seat," he said.
"Alice Rolls is an outstanding South Australian who's a highly accomplished and intelligent woman who's committed to her local community and she ran a really good campaign."
He pointed out that Labor won the Burnside and Linden Park booths.
"I think any political pundit knows full well that this is unheard of, to say the least," he said.
The next state election will be held in March 2026.
