Thomas Playford V stands against Liberals; goes from Baptist to a Uniting church minister

Thomas Playford V in the 2018 state election advertisement supporting Nick Xenophon and the SA Best party.

Tom Playford V carried his family’s tradition of church and politics into the 21st Century – but with some twists.

As a Baptist minister, in 2002, the son of South Australia's longest serving Liberal premier first ran as an Independent for Integrity in Parliament against the Liberal sitting member for the Adelaide Hills state seat of Kavel (previously held by another former Liberal premier, John Olsen). He polled 19% of votes.

His repeat bid for Kavel was in the 2006 state election against Liberal Mark Goldsworthy. Playford polled 15%, this time representing the Family First party that, he said, fitted with his values. He conceded “that this area is very strongly conservative … they are more loyal to the Liberal Party than the Liberal Party has been to them”.

Playford returned to the political spotlight at the 2018 state election, featured in an advertisement endorsing Nick Xenophon and his SA Best party. He said in the advertisement that his "old dad" would likely have voted for SA Best because his father was honest and hard-working – a lot like Xenophon. Playford added that his father would have had trouble accepting money from poker machine operators – and that ruled out supporting the Liberal and Labor parties.

Thomas Playford V made another switch in 2013 – from being a Baptist minister to accepting an invitation to be pastor of the Mount Torrens Community Uniting Church. His mother, Lorna Clark, was born in Mount Torrens and spent her first 12 years in the town, living above the general store that her father owned.