George Mamalis, TPAUS South Australian Coordinator, sits down with former South Australian Opposition Leader David Speirs for one of the most candid conversations of his political career.

In this wide-ranging interview, Speirs confirms he is running again in the upcoming state election, but this is not a standard campaign launch. It is a raw discussion about public failure, media scrutiny, leadership under pressure, and what rebuilding looks like after political collapse.

Speirs openly addresses what he describes as his “big mistakes,” the media onslaught that followed, and the personal toll of public humiliation. At one point, reflecting on the brutality of modern politics, he states:

“They come for you. They seek to kill you. And when they’ve killed you, they seek to kill your corpse.”

The conversation moves beyond personal controversy into policy and governance. Speirs revisits internal COVID cabinet debates, vaccine mandates, and the reality of being “in the room” when pandemic decisions were made.

A major focus of the interview is South Australia’s coastline and the catastrophic algal bloom impacting marine ecosystems. Speirs outlines his nine-point environmental recovery plan, discusses desalination and marine resilience, and addresses whether this may be the worst environmental disaster in state history.

The discussion also turns to the future of the Liberal Party, the rise of One Nation, migration levels, productivity, and the tension between big business interests and small enterprise.

Importantly, the final part of the interview shifts to personal resilience; hitting rock bottom, rebuilding discipline, mental health, fitness, and the mindset required to start again.

Whether viewers agree with Speirs or not, this is a serious and substantive conversation about leadership, accountability, environmental responsibility, and the direction of South Australia.

Watch through to the end for his reflections on failure, and what it takes to stand back up.