Results tight as SA goes to polls

THE Liberals are poised to end 16 years of Labor rule when South Australians head to the polls today.

But Opposition Leader Stephen Marshall yesterday ruled out any deals with potential kingmaker Nick Xenophon whose newly formed SA Best remains wildcard in the result.

Mr Marshall, in his second election as leader, remained convinced that Mr Xenophon would lean toward the Labor Party if the election is a cliffhanger.

Polls are predicting an extremely close result in the 47seat lower house, with the Liberals slightly ahead.

Mr Marshall vowed a “majority, reformist” Liberal Government would get South Australia “back on track”.

“It’s an opportunity to hit the reset button here in South Australia,” he said.

Premier Jay Weatherill is trying to win Labor a record fifth straight term.

He became Premier in 2011 from Mike Rann.

He said yesterday Mr Marshall hadn’t put forward a credible vision for the future.

“What Steven Marshall’s got is, it’s his time,” he said.

Mr Weatherill said was a real chance to win because he had made job creation a big priority, and there were hundreds of millions and dollars flowing into the state in renewable energy investment.

Mr Xenophon’s polling has sunk sharply during the campaign and there is a chance he could lose his seat of Hartley.

Several independent MPs are also likely to win seats, together with a handful of SA Best candidates, which makes it likely that the state will have a minority government.