By KERRY-ANNE WALSH

10feb02

DEMOCRATS leader Natasha Stott Despoja has angered party colleagues by travelling to New York with her new boyfriend, Ian Smith, in the middle of the South Australian election campaign.

Party members and State and Federal MPs say her decision to leave the country at such a critical time has further undermined support for her leadership.

"Even her closest supporters here (in South Australia) are furious," one Democrat source told The Sunday Telegraph.

Inquiries by The Sunday Telegraph last week among party members and MPs suggest Ms Stott Despoja's support has nosedived since last year's federal election.

Many of her Senate colleagues are deeply dismayed by what they see as her autocratic style and lack of consultation over party statements and staff.

Ms Stott Despoja campaigned for the first week of the South Australian campaign. She then flew to New York to attend the World Economic Forum with Mr Smith, chief executive of PR firm Gavin Anderson.

Her colleagues are mystified about her attendance, as deputy leader Aden Ridgeway was representing the party at the forum.

Ms Stott Despoja returned to the campaign trail on Friday for yesterday's election.

British-born Mr Smith, a former sub-editor at The Advertiser newspaper, in Adelaide, leapt from journalism to the conservative side of politics to become an adviser to former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett.

More recently, he was closely involved with the privatisation of Telstra 2. He became close to Ms Stott Despoja when Gavin Anderson offered her informal advice when she challenged former Democrat leader Meg Lees.

Ms Stott Despoja broke up with her former boyfriend, Channel 9 journalist Hugh Riminton, late last year.

She gave a guarantee at a party meeting in Melbourne in December that grievances raised about staff and management issues would be rectified, but sources say they are still waiting for action.

"If we don't get some staff, some resources, if she doesn't stop surrounding herself with her cheer squad, then someone will force the issue one way or another," one source said.

Democrats insiders are waiting to analyse the results of yesterday's South Australian election to gauge the standing in the community of the party and its federal leader.

The party's election literature boasted that it could snatch six to eight Lower House seats and increase its Upper House representation from three to five.

South Australia is the jewel in the Democrats' crown, the birthplace of the party and the home base of Ms Stott Despoja and Ms Lees.