Liberals sniff winds of change

A separated mother of three reckons she can trump one of the nation's shrewdest political animals at South Australia's election.

Liberal leader Isobel Redmond senses a whiff of change sweeping the state's political landscape.

Ten-seat challenge

Ms Redmond needs to claim an extra 10 seats at the March 20 poll to depose long-serving Labor Premier Mike Rann.

Months ago, that feat was deemed impossible - after all, Ms Redmond is the fourth leader of the SA Liberals in four years.

She has spent just eight months as Liberal leader and is pitted against the savvy of Mr Rann, who has been premier since 2002 and spent the past 25 years in parliament.

But Ms Redmond, and polls, are showing a remarkable turnaround for the Liberals - to the point where they are openly considering an electoral upset.

"I actually think we can win this election," she says.

Victory 'in our grasp'

"The surprise fourth quarter victory is in our grasp."

Mr Rann's Labor Party - and it is a party cast almost uniquely in his image from 16 years as leader - holds 28 seats in the 47 seat lower house.

The Liberals hold just 14, the National Party one, with four Independents.

So statistically, the challengers face an enormous task to return the Liberals to power in SA and end Mr Rann's eight-year rule.

Rann 'failed to deliver'

Ms Redmond says Mr Rann has failed to deliver in key areas including water management, health and education.

She notes that South Australia is "the highest taxed state in the nation".

And there's also the not so insignificant matter of the sex scandal swirling around the premier.

Ms Redmond has refused to use Michelle Chantelois' explosive claims of a sexual affair with the premier.

Mr Rann has denied the allegations, but the former parliamentary waitress insists she is telling the truth and remains the proverbial elephant in the room.

The claims are the first pieces of mud to stick to Mr Rann - long considered a master of the media and the internal machinations of politics.

Results 'will be close'

"I am not going to be distracted by that," Mr Rann says of Ms Chantelois' claims.

"That might be some people's obsession, that might be your obsession, it might be anybody's obsession - but my obsession is getting jobs for this state and keeping this state moving ahead."

The premier has committed to serving a full four-year term if re-elected, an extension of tenure that would make him Labor's longest serving premier in SA's history.

But he maintains the election result will be close.

"It is going to be incredibly tough to win this election, I think it's going to be an unbelievably tight finish, the polls show that," he says.