2009 Frome state by-election

Last updated

Frome, pictured mid-north and outlined in purple, is a rural seat nestled between the seats of Goyder and Stuart. At around 7000 km , the seat covers the industrial city of Port Pirie and surrounding agricultural areas including Clare. Frome06.png
Frome, pictured mid-north and outlined in purple, is a rural seat nestled between the seats of Goyder and Stuart. At around 7000 km , the seat covers the industrial city of Port Pirie and surrounding agricultural areas including Clare.

A by-election was held for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Frome on 17 January 2009. [1] This was triggered by the resignation of former premier and state Liberal MHA Rob Kerin. [2] The seat had been retained by the Liberals at the 2006 state election on a 3.4 per cent margin, and at the 2002 state election on an 11.5 per cent margin. [3]

Contents

The writ for the by-election was issued on 28 November, with the rolls closing on 8 December. Candidate nominations closed 18 December at midday.

Independent candidate Geoff Brock ended up winning the seat from the Liberals in a very close contest.

Background

Kerin was first elected as the member for the new rural Port Pirie-based seat of Frome at the 1993 state election where the Liberals won government. From 1995 he held various ministries in the Brown and Olsen Liberal governments until he became Premier of South Australia in October 2001, before losing government to the Mike Rann-led Labor Party at the March 2002 state election. Kerin remained Liberal leader until after the 2006 state election when he resigned the leadership to make way for Iain Evans.

The state by-election was the first to be held since the 1994 Taylor by-election, when another former premier, Lynn Arnold, retired from politics. [4]

Candidates

6 candidates in ballot paper order [5]
  Labor Party John RohdePostal worker.
  Nationals SA Neville WilsonDeputy mayor of Port Pirie Regional Council.
  Liberal Party Terry BoylanPolice officer.
  Greens Joy O'BrienFormer librarian and Burnside councillor.
  One Nation Peter FitzpatrickSmall business contractor.
  Independent Your Voice Geoff Brock Mayor of Port Pirie Regional Council.

The Family First Party and the Australian Democrats, who ran candidates in the previous election, polling 5.2 percent and 2 percent respectively, did not nominate a candidate to contest the by-election.

Issues

Of concern to the electorate was the potential closure of the Nyrstar smelter in Port Pirie due to the federal government's emissions trading scheme known as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, however it won special exemption from the scheme on 17 December. [6]

Port Pirie Mayor and Independent candidate Geoff Brock was considered a possibility for winning the seat, with a strong local profile, and receiving preference recommendations in how-to-vote cards (HTVs) from Labor and the Nationals, whilst the Greens did not recommend preferences. Brock's own HTV recommended preferences to the Nationals, Labor, Liberal, Green, and One Nation, in that order. [7] Independent Senator Nick Xenophon also campaigned for Brock. [8] [9] [10]

Results

The by-election was closely contested, with the result being uncertain for over a week. Initial reports suggested a slight swing to the Liberals on the two-party preferred count against Labor, but with Independent candidate Geoff Brock not far behind Labor. By 21 January 2009, both the ABC's Antony Green and the State Electoral Office were indicating a two percent swing against the Liberals toward Labor, but not enough to lose the seat. [11] [12] [13] Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith claimed victory on behalf of the party. [14] [15] [16]

Frome state by-election, 17 January 2009 [5] [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Terry Boylan7,57639.24–8.86
Labor John Rohde5,04126.11–14.93
Independent Your Voice Geoff Brock 4,55723.60+23.60
National Neville Wilson1,2676.56+6.56
Greens Joy O'Brien7343.80+0.06
One Nation Peter Fitzpatrick1340.69+0.69
Total formal votes19,30997.12+0.21
Informal votes5732.88–0.21
Turnout 19,88289.79–4.44
Notional two-party-preferred count
Liberal Terry Boylan9,97651.67–1.74
Labor John Rohde9,33348.33+1.74
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent Your Voice Geoff Brock 9,98751.72+51.72
Liberal Terry Boylan9,32248.28–5.13
Independent gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Instant-runoff voting method. IRV counting flowchart.svg
Instant-runoff voting method.

The result hinged on the performance of Brock against Labor in the competition for second place. Brock polled best in the Port Pirie area, and received enough eliminated candidate preferences to end up ahead of the Labor candidate by 30 votes.

Distribution of preferences - 4th count [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Terry Boylan8,21542.54
Independent Your Voice Geoff Brock 5,56228.81
Labor John Rohde5,53228.65

Brock received 80 percent of Labor's fifth count preferences to achieve a two-candidate preferred vote of 51.72 percent (a majority of 665 votes) against the Liberals, despite a slight improvement in the Liberal primary vote since the previous count. [19] [20] This was announced by the Electoral Commissioner, Kay Mousley, at 8:30 pm local time on 24 January 2009, but without a formal declaration. The commissioner rejected a request for a recount by Boylan, with a formal request being lodged by the Liberals, which was also rejected, after which the Liberals ruled out a possibility of taking the result to the Court of Disputed Returns. [21] [22] A formal declaration of the by-election outcome was made by the State Electoral Office on 29 January. [23] The by-election saw a rare two-party swing to an incumbent government, and was the first time an opposition had lost a seat at a by-election in South Australia. [24] [25] The result in Frome at the 2010 state election saw Brock increase his primary vote by 14.1 percent to a total of 37.7 percent and his two-candidate vote by 6.5 percent to a total of 58.2 percent. Despite a statewide swing against Labor at the election, Labor again increased its two-party vote in Frome by 1.8 percent to a total of 50.1 percent, coincidentally by 30 votes.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Division of Grey is an Australian electoral division in South Australia. The division was one of the seven established when the former Division of South Australia was redistributed on 2 October 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia from 1841 to 1845.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 South Australian state election</span>

The state election for the 51st Parliament of South Australia was held in the Australian state of South Australia on 18 March 2006 to elect all members of the South Australian House of Assembly and 11 members of the South Australian Legislative Council. The election was conducted by the independent State Electoral Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Frome</span> Australian electorate

Frome is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. It is named after Edward Charles Frome, the third surveyor-general of South Australia. The electorate stretches north-eastwards from the Gawler River and Gulf St Vincent in the south, and includes many of the agricultural areas of the Clare and Gilbert Valleys. It covers a total of 12,921 km2 (4,989 sq mi) and takes in the towns of Auburn, Clare, Mintaro, Port Broughton, Saddleworth, Snowtown and Riverton. Prior to the 2020 redistribution, its main population centre was Port Pirie, since transferred to Stuart.

The term swing refers to the extent of change in voter support, typically from one election or opinion poll to another, expressed as a positive or negative percentage point. For the Australian House of Representatives and the lower or unicameral houses of the parliaments of all the states and territories except Tasmania and the ACT, as well as Tasmania's upper house, Australia employs preferential voting in single-member constituencies. Under the full-preference instant-runoff voting system, in each seat the candidate with the lowest vote is eliminated and their preferences are distributed, which is repeated until only two candidates remain. While every seat has a two-candidate preferred (TCP) result, seats where the major parties have come first and second are commonly referred to as having a two-party-preferred (TPP) result. The concept of "swing" in Australian elections is not simply a function of the difference between the votes of the two leading candidates, as it is in Britain. To know the majority of any seat, and therefore the swing necessary for it to change hands, it is necessary to know the preferences of all the voters, regardless of their first preference votes. It is not uncommon in Australia for candidates who have comfortable leads on the first count to fail to win the seat, because "preference flows" go against them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Stuart</span> State electoral district of South Australia

Stuart is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. At 323,131 km², it is a vast country district extending from the Spencer Gulf as far as the Northern Territory border in the north and the Queensland and New South Wales borders in the east. The district includes pastoral lease and unincorporated Crown Lands, Lake Eyre and part of the Simpson Desert in the far north. Its main population centres since the 2020 boundaries redistribution are the industrial towns of Port Pirie and Port Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Such</span> Australian politician

Robert Bruce Such was a South Australian politician. He was the member for the seat of Fisher in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1989 until his death in 2014. He defeated Labor MP Philip Tyler at the 1989 election and was a member of the Liberals until 2000 when he became an independent. Such was Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, and Minister for Youth Affairs, in the Brown Liberal government from 1993 to 1996. He served as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly for the Rann Labor government from 2005 to 2006. Such was joint Father of the House with Michael Atkinson from 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Hamilton-Smith</span> Australian politician

Martin Leslie James Hamilton-Smith is a former Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Waite from the 1997 election until his retirement in 2018. First elected as a candidate for the Liberal Party, Hamilton-Smith was the state parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party and the Leader of the Opposition in South Australia from 2007 to 2009, and a Minister in the Kerin Liberal government from 2001 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-party-preferred vote</span> Result of election after distribution of preferences

In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the two candidates with the highest number of votes who, in some cases, can be independents. For the purposes of TPP, the Liberal/National Coalition is usually considered a single party, with Labor being the other major party. Typically the TPP is expressed as the percentages of votes attracted by each of the two major parties, e.g. "Coalition 50%, Labor 50%", where the values include both primary votes and preferences. The TPP is an indicator of how much swing has been attained/is required to change the result, taking into consideration preferences, which may have a significant effect on the result.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 South Australian state election</span>

The 2010 South Australian state election elected members to the 52nd Parliament of South Australia on 20 March 2010. All seats in the House of Assembly or lower house, whose current members were elected at the 2006 election, and half the seats in the Legislative Council or upper house, last filled at the 2002 election, became vacant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Mayo by-election</span>

The 2008 Mayo by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Mayo, located in Adelaide, South Australia, on 6 September 2008, following the retirement of Liberal Party MP and former Liberal leader Alexander Downer. The by-election was held on the same day as the Lyne by-election, and the Western Australian state election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Brock</span> Australian politician

Geoffrey Graeme Brock is an Australian politician. He is an Independent member in the South Australian House of Assembly, representing the seat of Stuart since the 2022 South Australian state election. Prior to this, he represented the seat of Frome from the 2009 Frome by-election until a redistribution leading up to the 2022 state election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Bradfield by-election</span>

The 2009 Bradfield by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Bradfield on 5 December 2009. This was triggered as a result of the resignation of former minister and ex-Liberal Party leader Brendan Nelson. The by-election was held on the same day as the Higgins by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Higgins by-election</span>

The 2009 Higgins by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives Division of Higgins on 5 December 2009. This was triggered by the resignation of former Treasurer and former Liberal Party deputy leader Peter Costello. The by-election was held on the same day as the Bradfield by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 South Australian state election</span>

The 2014 South Australian state election elected members to the 53rd Parliament of South Australia on 15 March 2014, to fill all 47 seats in the House of Assembly and 11 of 22 seats in the Legislative Council. The 12-year-incumbent Australian Labor Party (SA) government, led by Premier Jay Weatherill, won its fourth consecutive four-year term in government, a record 16 years of Labor government, defeating the opposition Liberal Party of Australia (SA), led by Opposition Leader Steven Marshall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Port Adelaide state by-election</span>

A by-election occurred in the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide on 11 February 2012. Labor's Susan Close won the seat on a 52.9 percent two-candidate-preferred (TCP) vote. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Deputy Premier, Treasurer and state Labor MHA Kevin Foley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Ramsay state by-election</span>

A by-election occurred in the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Ramsay on 11 February 2012. The seat was won by Labor candidate Zoe Bettison. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former premier and state Labor MHA Mike Rann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Western Australian state election</span> State general election for Western Australia

The 2017 Western Australian state election was held on Saturday 11 March 2017 to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia, including all 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 36 seats in the Legislative Council. The eight-and-a-half-year two-term incumbent Liberal–WA National government, led by Premier Colin Barnett, was defeated in a landslide by the Labor opposition, led by Opposition Leader Mark McGowan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 South Australian state election</span>

The 2018 South Australian state election to elect members to the 54th Parliament of South Australia was held on 17 March 2018. All 47 seats in the House of Assembly or lower house, whose members were elected at the 2014 election, and 11 of 22 seats in the Legislative Council or upper house, last filled at the 2010 election, were contested. The record-16-year-incumbent Australian Labor Party (SA) government led by Premier Jay Weatherill was seeking a fifth four-year term, but was defeated by the opposition Liberal Party of Australia (SA), led by Opposition Leader Steven Marshall. Nick Xenophon's new SA Best party unsuccessfully sought to obtain the balance of power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Fisher state by-election</span> South Australian by-election

A by-election for the seat of Fisher in the South Australian House of Assembly was held on 6 December 2014. The by-election was triggered by the death of independent MP Bob Such on 11 October 2014. Originally elected to Fisher for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 1989 election, defeating the one-term Australian Labor Party MP Philip Tyler, Such left the party in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Western Australian state election</span> State general election for Western Australia, held on 13 March 2021

The 2021 Western Australian state election was held on Saturday, March 13, to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia, where all 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 36 seats in the Legislative Council were up for election.

References

  1. ↑ "Libs upset by Frome poll date". ABC Online . 13 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Kerin quits politics". Independent Weekly (Fairfax Media). 12 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  3. ↑ Green, Antony (20 April 2006). "South Australian Election 2006 : Green Guide : Frome". ABC Online. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  4. ↑ Green, Antony (18 December 2008). "Frome by-election and South Australian Redistributions". ABC Online. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  5. 1 2 "2009 Frome By-election: ABC Elections". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  6. ↑ Smelter 'safe' - Premier: Fairfax 18/12/2008 Archived 31 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Green, Antony (17 January 2009). "ABC Antony Green's Frome by-election Results blog". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Walker, Jamie (14 January 2009). "Deals put former SA premier's seat on line: The Australian 14/1/2009". Theaustralian.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Independents unite to support Brock in bid for by-election glory: Flinders News 15/1/2009". Flindersranges.yourguide.com.au. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Greens to run open ticket in Frome: The Independent 14/1/2009". Independentweekly.com.au. Australian Associated Press. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Frome by-election goes down to the wire". ABC Online. 18 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  12. ↑ Green, Antony. "Frome By-election Results". ABC Online. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  13. ↑ Emmerson, Russell; Pepper, Chris (18 January 2009). "Liberals confident they'll hold Outback seat of Frome". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "Liberals claim victory in Frome". Poll Bludger (Crikey). 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009. This article reproduces the original Liberal press release, no longer available on the SA Liberal site.
  15. ↑ Gout, Hendrik (30 January 2009). "Frome one loss to another: Independent Weekly 30/1/2009". Independentweekly.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  16. ↑ Richardson, Tom (30 January 2009). "Frome, a lost moment for the Libs: Independent Weekly 30/1/2009". Independentweekly.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "2009 Frome by-election: ECSA". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "District of Frome – By-election 17 January 2009 Distribution of Preferences to Last 2 Candidates in Count" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  19. ↑ Pepper, Chris (25 January 2009). "Shock Frome loss rocks SA Liberals". The Advertiser . Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  20. ↑ Walker, Jamie (31 January 2009). "Peace plea as Nationals take revenge on Liberals at polling booth: The Australian 31/1/2009". Theaustralian.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  21. ↑ "Recount refused as Brock takes Frome by-election". ABC Online. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.[ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Electoral commissioner refuses challenge: The Advertiser 28/1/2009". News.com.au. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  23. ↑ "New Frome MP to 'make politics more accessible': ABC 29/1/2009". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  24. ↑ Nason, David (26 January 2009). "Leader left with pumpkin: The Australian 26/1/2009". Theaustralian.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  25. ↑ Lower, Gavin; Nason, David (26 January 2009). "Libs demand recount after shock poll loss: The Australian 26/1/2009". Theaustralian.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.