Electoral district of Giles
Encyclopedia
Giles is an electoral district
of the House of Assembly
in the Australia
n state of South Australia
. The electorate, named after explorer Ernest Giles
, is the largest in South Australia, covering a 500,738.0km² swathe of outback South Australia
. Its main population centre is the industrial city of Whyalla
, but also covers significant areas of pastoral leases and Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal land. The electorate also takes in a number of regional towns, including Coober Pedy
, Cowell
, Kimba
, Maralinga
, Quorn
, Roxby Downs, Tarcoola
, Woomera
and part of Hawker
.
Giles is a comparatively recent creation, having only been created at the 1991 electoral redistribution, where it replaced the electorate of Whyalla
. It covers an area that has traditionally been a stronghold of the Australian Labor Party
, with support for the party being particularly strong in the city of Whyalla as well as in remote mining towns and indigenous communities. As such, sitting Labor MP for Whyalla and incumbent government minister Frank Blevins had little difficulty winning Giles when it was first contested at the 1993 election, passing a sizable margin on to his Labor successor Lyn Breuer
, who held the seat at the 1997 and 2002 elections. Breuer's margin had been halved by the latest redistribution, which moved several heavily Liberal-voting areas into Giles, but with another increase in her margin at the 2006 state election, she appears unlikely to be seriously challenged for the foreseeable future.
South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts
Since 1970, the South Australian House of Assembly has consisted of 47 single-member electoral districts consisting of approximately the same number of enrolled voters...
of the House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The electorate, named after explorer Ernest Giles
Ernest Giles
William Ernest Powell Giles , best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led three major expeditions in central Australia.- Early life :...
, is the largest in South Australia, covering a 500,738.0km² swathe of outback South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Its main population centre is the industrial city of Whyalla
Whyalla, South Australia
-Demographics:According to the 2006 Census the population of the Whyalla census area was 21,122 people, making it the second largest urban area in the state outside of Adelaide...
, but also covers significant areas of pastoral leases and Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal land. The electorate also takes in a number of regional towns, including Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 kilometres north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. According to the 2006 census, its population was 1,916 . The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there...
, Cowell
Cowell, South Australia
Cowell is a coastal town on Franklin Harbour on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia on the Lincoln Highway 111 km south from the major town of Whyalla...
, Kimba
Kimba, South Australia
Kimba is a rural service town on the Eyre Highway at the top of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. At the 2006 census, Kimba had a population of 636 and it has an annual rainfall of 339 mm. There is 7 metre tall statue of a big galah beside the highway marking halfway between the east and west...
, Maralinga
Maralinga, South Australia
Maralinga, South Australia in the remote western areas of South Australia was the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Indigenous Australian people. Maralinga was the site of the secret British nuclear tests in the 1950s. The site measures about 3,300 km² in area...
, Quorn
Quorn, South Australia
Quorn is a township and railhead in the Flinders Ranges in the north of South Australia, 39 km northeast of Port Augusta. At the 2006 census, Quorn had a population of 1068.Quorn is the home of the Flinders Ranges Council local government area...
, Roxby Downs, Tarcoola
Tarcoola, South Australia
Tarcoola is a town in the Far North of South Australia 416 km north-northwest of Port Augusta.Tarcoola is taken from a non-local aboriginal language from an area around Tarcoola Station in NSW; it means river bend.-History:Tarcoola Post Office opened on 18 August 1900 and the town was...
, Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
and part of Hawker
Hawker, South Australia
Hawker is a town in the Flinders Ranges area of South Australia, 365 km north of Adelaide. It is in the Flinders Ranges Council, the state Electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey. At the 2006 census, Hawker had a population of 229....
.
Giles is a comparatively recent creation, having only been created at the 1991 electoral redistribution, where it replaced the electorate of Whyalla
Electoral district of Whyalla
Whyalla was an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia from 1956 to 1993. The district was based on the town of Whyalla....
. It covers an area that has traditionally been a stronghold of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, with support for the party being particularly strong in the city of Whyalla as well as in remote mining towns and indigenous communities. As such, sitting Labor MP for Whyalla and incumbent government minister Frank Blevins had little difficulty winning Giles when it was first contested at the 1993 election, passing a sizable margin on to his Labor successor Lyn Breuer
Lyn Breuer
Lynette Ruth "Lyn" Breuer , Australian politician, represents the electoral district of Giles in the South Australian House of Assembly for the Australian Labor Party...
, who held the seat at the 1997 and 2002 elections. Breuer's margin had been halved by the latest redistribution, which moved several heavily Liberal-voting areas into Giles, but with another increase in her margin at the 2006 state election, she appears unlikely to be seriously challenged for the foreseeable future.
Members for Giles
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Blevins | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1993–1997 | |
| Lyn Breuer Lyn Breuer Lynette Ruth "Lyn" Breuer , Australian politician, represents the electoral district of Giles in the South Australian House of Assembly for the Australian Labor Party... |
Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1997–present | |
