Ashton Morgan Hurn (born 14 January 1991) is an Australian politician who has served as the leader of the Opposition in South Australia and the leader of the South Australian Liberal Party since 2025. She has been the member of the House of Assembly (MP) for the district of Schubert since 2022.
Early life and education Hurn was born on 14 January 1991 and was raised in Angaston. She is the granddaughter of Brian Hurn, who had been mayor of Barossa Council, and the sister of Shannon Hurn, who played Australian rules football for West Coast Eagles.
Hurn attended Nuriootpa High School. She was a South Australian Institute of Sport netballer, and played in the South Australian representative 19 & Under team in 2010. She studied social sciences at university.
Political career Hurn began working for then MP Steven Marshall one day a week while at university, eventually becoming Director of Media and Communications for him as Premier for four years, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2014, Hurn ran for pre-selection for the South Australian Liberal Party seat of Schubert. She was defeated by Stephan Knoll, who held the seat until 2022. After Knoll retired from politics, Hurn successfully stood for the seat at the 2022 state election. She was given the portfolio of health in the shadow cabinet of David Speirs.
Political views Hurn is part of the moderate wing in the Liberal Party.
Hurn indicated her support for a ban on Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers' Week for her antisemitic comments in January 2026.
2025 Liberal leadership ballot
After Vincent Tarzia stepped down as Liberal leader, Hurn was elected unopposed in December 2025. She is the second woman to hold the position after Isobel Redmond. She was also the third female Liberal leader installed within three weeks, after Victoria's Jess Wilson and New South Wales' Kellie Sloane.
2026 state election
Hurn faced a daunting situation when she became the South Australian Opposition Leader. Not only was she the Liberals' fourth leader since the previous 2022 state election, but she took over with just over 100 days to go until the 2026 state election. The Liberals were universally written off in opinion polling, indicating they were headed for a severe historic loss. At the election, the Liberals' primary vote was slashed in half to below 19 percent, receiving fewer primary votes than right-wing populist party One Nation. It marked the first time the Liberals have finished outside the top two highest parties by vote share at a South Australian election. The Liberals were reduced to just five seats in the 47-seat House of Assembly, the fewest for either major party since the establishment of the two-party system in 1910. They retained opposition status by just one seat over One Nation who won four seats off the Liberals.https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa-election-2026
The election occurred less than a year after a similar historic landslide at the 2025 federal election, in which the Liberals lost their last federal seat (Sturt) in the Adelaide metropolitan area. At a state level, the Liberals were reduced to just one seat (Bragg) in the Adelaide metropolitan area.https://antonygreen.com.au/sa2026-updating-result-summary/
Personal life Hurn is married to Adam Howard, who was previously a media adviser for Christopher Pyne. They have a son who was born in May 2024.
She is also the sister of former West Coast Eagles captain Shannon Hurn.
See also 2030 South Australian state election#Opinion polling
References