Stuart – SA 2014

LIB 7.6%

Incumbent MP
Dan van Holst Pellekaan, since 2010.

Geography
Northern parts of South Australia. Stuart stretches from the northern fringe of Adelaide to the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales borders, and west to Port Augusta. The largest town in the electorate is Port Augusta.

Redistribution
No change.

History
The electorate of Stuart was first created for the 1938 election. The seat was abolished in 1993 and restored in 1997. The seat was always held by Labor prior to 1993, and has been Liberal-held since 1997.

Stuart was held by two Labor MPs over a 51-year period until 1989, when the seat was won by Labor MP Colleen Hutchison.

In 1993, Stuart was abolished and merged into the neighbouring seat of Eyre, and Hutchison lost to the sitting Liberal MP, Graham Gunn.

Gunn had won Eyre at the 1970 state election. He served as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1993 to 1996.

In 1997, Eyre was renamed back to Stuart, and Gunn shifted to the newly-named seat.

Gunn held Stuart at the 2002 election, and narrowly held on in 2006.

At the 2010 election, Gunn retired and he was replaced by the Liberal Party’s Dan van Holst Pellekaan.

Candidates
Sitting Liberal MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan is running for re-election. The Greens are running Brendan Fitzgerald. Family First are running Sylvia Holland.

• Dan van Holst Pellekaan (Liberal)
• Josh Vines (Labor)
• Brendan Fitzgerald (Greens)
• Sylvia Holland (Family First)

Assessment
Stuart should remain in Liberal hands in 2014.

2010 result

2010 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Booths have been divided into three areas. Those polling places in the Port Augusta area have been grouped together. Polling places in Goyder, Light, Mid Murray and Peterborough council areas have been grouped together into ‘east’. Polling places in Mount Remarkable, Northern Areas and Orroroo Carrieton council areas have been grouped together into ‘central’.

The Liberal Party won a majority of votes in the electorate. The Liberal Party won large majorities in the east (61.7%) and centre (75.7%) of the seat, while the ALP won a 57.6% in Port Augusta.

The Greens came third, with Family First just behind. The Greens outpolled Family First in the east of the seat and in special votes. Family First outpolled the Greens in Port Augusta and the centre of the seat.