Hurtle Vale – SA 2018

ALP 1.7%

Incumbent MP
Nat Cook, member for Fisher since 2014.

Geography
Southern Adelaide. Hurtle Vale covers northern parts of the City of Onkaparinga, including Reynella East, Old Reynella, Woodcroft and parts of Happy Valley and Morphett Vale.

Redistribution
Hurtle Vale is a successor electorate to Fisher, shifting substantially to the south-west. Hurtle Vale kept Reynella East and part of Happy Valley from Fisher, and also gained Old Reynella from Mitchell, Woodcroft from Mawson and part of Morphett Vale from Reynell. These changes shifted the seat’s two-party-preferred vote from 7.2% for the Liberal Party to 1.7% for Labor.

History

The electorate of Fisher has existed since 1970. The seat was Liberal-held at all but one election throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with the ALP winning the seat for one term in 1985. The sitting Liberal MP became an independent in 2000, and has held the seat ever since.

Stan Evans won Fisher in 1970, after first being elected as Member for Onkaparinga just two years earlier in 1968. Evans held the seat until 1985.

The redistribution prior to the 1985 election made Fisher much less safe, and shifted much of the seat into the neighbouring district of Davenport.

Evans decided to challenge Davenport Liberal MP Dean Brown for his preselection. Brown won Liberal preselection, but Evans ran for Davenport as an independent and was elected. Evans ended up sitting as a Liberal MP, and was re-elected in Davenport in 1989 before passing the seat on to his son Iain Evans at the 1993 election. Brown returned to Parliament in 1992 at a by-election, led the Liberal Party to victory at the 1993 election and served as Premier from 1993 to 1996.

The ALP’s Philip Tyler won Fisher, but lost four years later in 1989 to Liberal candidate Bob Such.

Such was promoted to the frontbench when Dean Brown became Liberal leader in 1992, and served as a minister from 1993 until Brown was deposed as Premier in 1996, when he was demoted to the backbench.

Such was discontented with the government, now led by John Olsen, and in 2000, facing a preselection challenge, he resigned from the Liberal Party.

Such was re-elected at the 2002 election, now as an independent, defeating Liberal candidate Susan Jeanes.

Such became Deputy Speaker after the 2002 election, and served as speaker from 2005 to 2006.

Such was re-elected as an independent at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 elections. Such was diagnosed with a brain tumour one week after the 2014 election and immediately took leave from parliament. He died later that year.

The 2014 by-election saw an independent in the Such mould face off against major party candidates. In a surprise result, Labor’s Nat Cook managed to get to second place on primary votes and then win a narrow victory on independent preferences.

Candidates

• Donovan Cresdee (Dignity)
• Aaron Duff (Liberal)
• Nat Cook (Labor)
• Michael O’Brien (SA Best)
• Bruce Malcolm (Conservatives)
• Nikki Mortier (Greens)

Assessment
Hurtle Vale on paper is a marginal Labor seat, but it’s worth noting that there was a dramatic shift in the voting patterns of the Fisher part of the electorate at the 2014 by-election. With an incumbent Labor MP you’d expect this seat to go well for Labor, and likely will stay in Labor hands.

2014 election result

2014 two-candidate-preferred result

2014 two-party-preferred result

2014 by-election result

2014 by-election two-party-preferred result

2014 election booth breakdown

Booths in Hurtle Vale have been divided into three areas: central, north and south.

The Liberal Party’s primary vote ranged from 31.9% in the south to 37.6% in the centre. The Labor vote ranged from 20% in the north to 49% in the south. The vote for independents (primarily Such) was 34.7% in the north and much lower or zero in the other regions.

2014 by-election breakdown

Booths at the Fisher by-election were divided into central, east and west.

The Liberal Party’s vote ranged from 32.6% in the west to 50% in the east. Labor’s vote ranged from 14% in the east to 36.8% in the west. The vote for Dan Woodyatt ranged from 17.3% in the west to 26% in the centre.

Election results in Hurtle Vale at the 2014 SA state election
Click on the ‘visible layers’ box to toggle between primary votes between Liberal, Labor and independent Bob Such.

Election results at the 2014 Fisher by-election
Click on the ‘visible layers’ box to toggle between primary votes between Liberal, Labor and independent Dan Woodyatt.

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