Goyder – SA 2014

LIB 15.7%

Incumbent MP
Steven Griffiths, since 2006.

Geography
Regional South Australia. Goyder covers the Yorke Peninsula, the Copper Coast and other surrounding areas.

Redistribution
Goyder lost territory to Frome and gained territory from Taylor. The Liberal Party’s margin was cut from 18.3% to 15.7%.

History
Goyder has existed since the 1970 election. The seat has never been held by the ALP, mostly having been held by the Liberal Party, along with periods held by an independent and the Liberal Movement.

Steele Hall had held the seat of Gouger from 1959 until 1973. Hall became leader of the Liberal and Country League in 1966, and led the LCL into government in 1968. He served as Premier until the LCL’s defeat in 1970.

Hall resigned as LCL leader in 1972, leading the Liberal Movement as a splinter party from the LCL. In 1973, he moved from Gouger to Goyder, winning the seat off the LCL’s James Ferguson.

Hall resigned from Goyder in 1974 to run for the Senate, triggering a by-election. Hall served in the Senate until 1977, with the Liberal Movement merging back into the Liberal Party in 1976. He later held the federal seat of Boothby as a Liberal MP from 1981 to 1996.

The 1974 Goyder by-election was won by the Liberal Movement’s David Boundy. He rejoined the Liberal Party in 1976, and won Liberal preselection for the 1977 election. His preselection rival, Keith Russack, ran in Goyder as an independent and won, before returning to the Liberal Party.

Russack retired at the 1982 election, and Goyder was won by John Meier. Meier held Goyder for 24 years, retiring in 2006.

Steven Griffiths won Goyder in 2006. He joined the Liberal frontbench in 2007, and he was elected Liberal deputy leader in 2009. He was re-elected in 2010, but was replaced as Liberal deputy leader immediately after the election.

Candidates
Sitting Liberal MP Steven Griffiths is running for re-election. The Greens are running Graham Smith. Family First are running John Bennett.

• Elyse Ramsay (Labor)
• John Bennett (Family First)
• Bob Nicholls (Independent)
• Kim McWaters (NAT)
• Graham Smith (Greens)
• Steven Griffiths (Liberal)

Assessment
Goyder is a very safe Liberal seat.

2010 result

2010 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Booths have been divided into three parts, along local government lines. Booths in Copper Coast and Yorke Peninsula council areas have been grouped separately. Those in Mallala and Wakefield council areas have been grouped as ‘east’.

The Liberal Party won a majority in all three areas, ranging from 59.5% in the east to 74.3% in Yorke Peninsula.

Family First came third in the electorate, with a vote ranging from 6.8% in Copper Coast to 8.6% in the east.