The 1979 Norwood state by-election was a by-election held on 10 March 1979 for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Norwood. This was triggered by the resignation of Premier and Labor MHA Don Dunstan. Created and first contested at the 1938 state election, the seat had been held by Dunstan since the 1953 state election.
Labor retained the seat on a considerably reduced majority.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labor | Greg Crafter | 6,505 | 47.3 | -12.9 | |
Liberal | Frank Webster | 5,866 | 42.7 | +2.9 | |
Democrats | Liz Bullock | 761 | 5.5 | +5.5 | |
Marijuana | Steve Dimitriou | 302 | 2.2 | +2.2 | |
Independent | Howard Steele | 225 | 1.6 | +1.6 | |
Australia | Ian Modistach | 83 | 0.6 | +0.6 | |
Total formal votes | 13,742 | 97.0 | +0.2 | ||
Informal votes | 430 | 3.0 | -0.2 | ||
Turnout | 14,172 | 84.2 | -6.3 | ||
Two-party-preferred result | |||||
Labor | Greg Crafter | 7,314 | 53.2 | -7.0 | |
Liberal | Frank Webster | 6,428 | 46.8 | +7.0 | |
Labor hold | Swing | -7.0 | |||
Donald Allan Dunstan was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for the division of Norwood from 1953 to 1979, and leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1967 to 1979. Before becoming premier, Dunstan served as the 38th attorney-general of South Australia and the treasurer of South Australia. He is the fourth longest serving premier in South Australian history.
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.
James Desmond Corcoran was an Australian politician who served as the 37th premier of South Australia between February and September 1979, following the resignation of Don Dunstan. During his brief premiership Corcoran also served as state treasurer. Born at Millicent in the southeast of the state, he served in the Australian Army in the Korean War and Malayan Emergency, reaching the rank of captain, and being twice mentioned in despatches. Following his discharge in 1961, Corcoran was elected to the House of Assembly, succeeding his father Jim Corcoran – who retired at the 1962 election – as the member for the electoral district of Millicent representing the Australian Labor Party.
David Oliver Tonkin was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of South Australia from 18 September 1979 to 10 November 1982. He was elected to the House of Assembly seat of Bragg at the 1970 election, serving until 1983. He became the leader of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1975, replacing Bruce Eastick. Initially leading the party to defeat at the 1977 election against the Don Dunstan Labor government, his party won the 1979 election against the Des Corcoran Labor government. Following the 1980 Norwood by-election the Tonkin government was reduced to a one-seat majority. His government's policy approach combined economic conservatism with social progressivism. The Tonkin Liberal government was defeated after one term at the 1982 election by Labor led by John Bannon.
Norwood is a former electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It was a 14.2 km² inner-urban electorate in Adelaide and was named after the inner-eastern suburb of Norwood. In its final configuration, the seat also included the suburbs of Beulah Park, College Park, Evandale, Firle, Hackney, Joslin, Kent Town, Marden, Maylands, Payneham South, Royston Park, St Morris, St Peters, Stepney, Trinity Gardens and Vale Park, as well as parts of Kensington, Klemzig and Payneham.
The Playmander was a gerrymandering system, a pro-rural electoral malapportionment in the Australian state of South Australia, which was introduced by the incumbent Liberal and Country League (LCL) government in 1936, and remained in place for 32 years until 1968.
State elections were held in South Australia on 15 September 1979. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier of South Australia Des Corcoran was defeated by the Liberal Party of Australia led by Leader of the Opposition David Tonkin.
State elections were held in South Australia on 17 September 1977. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier of South Australia Don Dunstan won a fourth term in government, defeating the Liberal Party of Australia led by Leader of the Opposition David Tonkin.
State elections were held in South Australia on 12 July 1975. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier of South Australia Don Dunstan won a third term in government, defeating the Liberal Party of Australia led by Leader of the Opposition Bruce Eastick.
State elections were held in South Australia on 10 March 1973. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier of South Australia Don Dunstan won a second term in government, defeating the Liberal and Country League led by Leader of the Opposition Bruce Eastick.
State elections were held in South Australia on 30 May 1970. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Steele Hall was defeated by the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Don Dunstan.
State elections were held in South Australia on 6 March 1965. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV, in power since 1938, was defeated by the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Frank Walsh.
State elections were held in South Australia on 7 March 1953. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran.
State elections were held in South Australia on 8 March 1947. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League government led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Robert Richards.
The 1980 Norwood state by-election was a by-election held on 16 February 1980 for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Norwood.
Steven Spence Marshall is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the South Australian House of Assembly since 2010, representing the electorate of Dunstan.
Gregory John Crafter is a former South Australian Labor Party politician. He was the member for Norwood from 1979 to 1993, with a short break from September 1979 to February 1980.
Dunstan is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly, covering the inner eastern suburbs of Beulah Park, College Park, Evandale, Firle, Hackney, Joslin, Kensington, Kensington Park, Kensington Gardens, Kent Town, Marden, Maylands, Norwood, Payneham, Payneham South, Royston Park, St Morris, St Peters, Stepney, and Trinity Gardens.
This is a list of House of Assembly results for the 1979 South Australian state election.
The South Australian Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as South Australian Labor, is the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party, originally formed in 1891 as the United Labor Party of South Australia. It is one of two major parties in the bicameral Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division).