A by-election for the seat of Dunstan in the South Australian House of Assembly was held on 23 March 2024, following the resignation of incumbent member and former Premier Steven Marshall, which was announced on 24 January 2024.[1]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electoral district of Dunstan in the South Australian House of Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 24,447 (80.8%  8.9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 The electoral district of Dunstan (highlighted in green) in the greater Adelaide area. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Labor candidate Cressida O'Hanlon was elected the new member, defeating Liberal candidate Anna Finizio. O'Hanlon is the first Labor member to represent the seat, and the only member other than Marshall to have represented the seat since its creation in 2014. It is the first instance of a governing party gaining a seat in a by-election from the Opposition in South Australia in over a century.[2]
Background edit
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting Liberal MP and former Premier Steven Marshall.
Dunstan is considered an ultra-marginal seat, sitting on a 0.5% margin. Indeed, at the 2022 state election, when Marshall's Liberal government unsuccessfully sought a second term (but were defeated in a landslide), Marshall came close to losing his own seat.
2022 result edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Steven Marshall | 11,219 | 46.7 | −2.6 | |
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 8,445 | 35.2 | +6.4 | |
| Greens | Kay Moncrieff | 3,279 | 13.7 | +4.7 | |
| Family First | Tony Holloway | 1,067 | 4.4 | +4.4 | |
| Total formal votes | 24,010 | 98.2 | |||
| Informal votes | 437 | 1.8 | |||
| Turnout | 24,447 | 89.7 | |||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Steven Marshall | 12,135 | 50.5 | −6.9 | |
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 11,875 | 49.5 | +6.9 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | −6.9 | |||
Candidates edit
List of candidates as they appear on the ballot order.
- Frankie Bray (Animal Justice Party)[3]
- Cressida O'Hanlon (Labor)[4]
- Katie McCusker (Greens)[5]
- Anna Finizio (Liberal)[6]
- Nicole Hussey (Australian Family Party)
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Anna Finizio | 9,334 | 43.5 | −3.2 | |
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 6,896 | 32.1 | −3.1 | |
| Greens | Katie McCusker | 4,116 | 19.2 | +5.5 | |
| Animal Justice | Frankie Bray | 682 | 3.2 | +3.2 | |
| Australian Family | Nicole Hissey | 440 | 2.0 | +2.0 | |
| Total formal votes | 21,468 | 98.1 | −0.2 | ||
| Informal votes | 425 | 1.9 | +0.2 | ||
| Turnout | 21,893 | 80.8 | −8.9 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 10,914 | 50.8 | +1.4 | |
| Liberal | Anna Finizio | 10,554 | 49.2 | −1.4 | |
| Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.4 | |||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Former premier Steven Marshall announces he will soon retire from state parliament". The Advertiser.
- ^ Liberals behind in Dunstan by-election, retrieved 23 March 2024
- ^ "Frankie Bray". Animal Justice Party South Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Cressida O'Hanlon". South Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Katie McCusker". Greens SA. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Anna Finizio | Liberal Candidate for Dunstan". voteanna.com.au. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Dunstan By-Election 2024". ECSA. Retrieved 3 April 2024.