Anti-abortion activist allowed to film speech after clash with former deputy premier at Liberal women’s meeting

At the Liberal Women’s Council’s AGM, anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe addressed members with Senator Alex Antic present and asked to film her speech to avoid misquotation. Former South Australian Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman moved to block any recording, citing a fifty-year tradition of no filming at Liberal Party meetings. Members voted to allow the filming, prompting Chapman and a few supporters to exit the session.

The meeting also chose Irena Zagladov as council president and selected twelve delegates for the State Council, which will influence the party’s state president and Senate preselections. Howe, a former Labor member expelled earlier this year, later described Chapman and her allies in harsh terms on social media. Party figures such as Deputy Opposition Leader Josh Teague and Senator Tony Pasin commented on the incident and the ongoing conservative shift within the South Australian Liberal Party.