Port Adelaide state by-election, 2012
Encyclopedia
A by-election will be held for the South Australian House of Assembly
seat of Port Adelaide
, likely to occur in early February 2012. This will be triggered by the resignation of former Deputy Premier
, Treasurer
and state Labor
MHA Kevin Foley
.
announcing they would step down from their parliamentary seats of Port Adelaide and Ramsay
. On two-party preferred margins of 12.8 percent and 18.0 percent from the 2010 election, Labor are likely to retain both seats. In the lower house, 24 seats form a majority, the Labor government currently hold 26 of 47 seats. If one or both seats were lost, Labor would still retain majority government
.
Foley was first elected as the member for the new north-western metropolitan seat of Hart
at the 1993 election, moving to the recreated seat of Port Adelaide in 2002 after Hart was abolished in an electoral redistribution. From Rann Labor's election to government at the 2002 election until 2011, Foley was Treasurer, and the longest-serving Deputy Premier of South Australia.
The last by-election was the 2009 Frome by-election
, when another former Premier, Rob Kerin
, retired from politics. The seat was won by an independent candidate.
The Liberal Party of Australia
is yet to decide if it will run a candidate. The Australian Greens
are expected to run a candidate.
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 :...
seat of Port Adelaide
Electoral district of Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Named after Port Adelaide because of its geographical location, it is a 113.4 km² urban electorate on Adelaide's Lefevre Peninsula and stretches east to cove some of Adelaide's northern...
, likely to occur in early February 2012. This will be triggered by the resignation of former Deputy Premier
Deputy Premier of South Australia
The Deputy Premier of South Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of South Australia. The Deputy Premiership is a ministerial portfolio, and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....
, Treasurer
Treasurer of South Australia
The Treasurer of South Australia is the title held by the Cabinet minister who is responsible for the financial management of South Australia’s budget sector.-List of South Australian Treasurers:...
and state 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...
MHA Kevin Foley
Kevin Foley
Kevin Owen Foley , Australian politician, is the current Minister for Industry and Trade and Minister for Federal/State Relations in the Rann Labor government. He previously served as Treasurer of South Australia and Deputy Premier of South Australia from 2002 until his resignation in 2011...
.
Background
Twin by-elections will occur as a result of Foley and Mike RannMike Rann
Michael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
announcing they would step down from their parliamentary seats of Port Adelaide and Ramsay
Electoral district of Ramsay
Ramsay is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after Alexander Ramsay , who was General Manager of the South Australian Housing Trust for 25 years and devoted to the improvement of South Australian life...
. On two-party preferred margins of 12.8 percent and 18.0 percent from the 2010 election, Labor are likely to retain both seats. In the lower house, 24 seats form a majority, the Labor government currently hold 26 of 47 seats. If one or both seats were lost, Labor would still retain majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
.
Foley was first elected as the member for the new north-western metropolitan seat of Hart
Electoral district of Hart
Hart was an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia from 1992 to 2002. The district was based in the north-western suburbs of Adelaide....
at the 1993 election, moving to the recreated seat of Port Adelaide in 2002 after Hart was abolished in an electoral redistribution. From Rann Labor's election to government at the 2002 election until 2011, Foley was Treasurer, and the longest-serving Deputy Premier of South Australia.
The last by-election was the 2009 Frome by-election
Frome state by-election, 2009
A by-election was held for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Frome on 17 January 2009. This was triggered by the resignation of former Premier and state Liberal MHA Rob Kerin...
, when another former Premier, Rob Kerin
Rob Kerin
Robert Gerard Kerin was the Liberal Premier of South Australia from 22 October 2001 to 5 March 2002. He also served as Deputy Premier of South Australia to John Olsen from 7 July 1998 until he became premier upon Olsen's resignation....
, retired from politics. The seat was won by an independent candidate.
Candidates
Confirmed nominations are:- Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe 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...
- Susan Close. - Independent Liberal - Gary Johanson.
- One Nation - Grant Carlin.
The Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
is yet to decide if it will run a candidate. The Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
are expected to run a candidate.