Independent Candidate Issues Election Wake-Up Call for Regional South Australian Voters
With a state election fast approaching, regional South Australians are being urged to take a closer look at who — and what — they’re voting for.
This isn’t about party politics.
And it’s not about backing one candidate over another.
It’s about understanding what’s actually on the table for country communities before heading to the polls.
Beyond Election Promises
Eyre Peninsula businessman Rod Keogh, who operates EP Cruises and Fowlers Bay Whale Tours, has entered the race for the seat of Flinders. With up to 12 candidates, it’s shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested regional seats in the country.
After jumping into the race just six weeks ago, Keogh says win, lose or draw, the real question for regional South Australians is what they want their towns, communities and businesses to look like in four years’ time.
“There’s approximately 406,000 to 460,000 people living regionally or remotely in South Australia,” he said.
“We all have different wants and needs, but we’re dealing with the same problem. Accessing anything from Adelaide is tough, and it’s time consuming.”
Keogh says in recent weeks, major election commitments have largely focused on metropolitan projects.
“What they’re promising is well in excess of 50 to 100 billion dollars,” he said.
“Minimal funding has been announced for regional and remote areas. And with the announcements that are being made, what timeframe are these promises actually going to happen?”
A Structural Problem?
“We’ve been running our business for 18 years, but the last nine have been plagued with bureaucracy. A lot of regional operations are forced out of the game by changes issued by departments with no geographical knowledge of where or what we do,” he said.
“We don’t lack effort in regional communities. We lack structural alignment.”
One of the ideas Keogh is advocating for is the creation of a Department of Rural Sustainability — a regionally based body designed to ensure policies affecting country communities are properly assessed before they’re implemented.
The proposal would require governments to publish regional impact assessments, economic modelling, community consultation summaries and independent scientific advice before Parliament votes on decisions affecting regional health, water, mining, infrastructure or services.
And if the impacts aren’t clear?
“There should be the ability to pause decisions until proper consultation and independent advice has been sought,” he said.
According to Keogh, the concept isn’t just about the Eyre Peninsula — or even South Australia.
It’s something he believes needs to be considered nationally.
“What we’ve got right now isn’t working,” he said.
An Unconventional Campaign
Keogh’s own campaign has been noticeably different to most.
No flyers, no corflute signs, not even a how-to-vote cards planned for election day.
Just community conversations — and a consistent message encouraging voters to make informed choices.
“I’m not going to tell people who to vote for,” he said.
“But South Australians need to do their homework before they go to the polls.”
“Don’t think your vote is a waste of time. If we do that with this election, we could be running into even bigger issues in the future.”
To find out who’s running for a seat in your electoral district, click here.
