Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Grey, South Australia

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Outback South Australia: Kadina, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Whyalla
State seats: All of Flinders, Frome, Giles and Narungga, parts of Schubert and Stuart
Local government areas: All of Adelaide Plains, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Barrunga West, Ceduna, Cleve, Coober Pedy, Copper Coast, Elliston, Flinders Ranges, Franklin Harbour, Goyder, Kimba, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Maralinga Jarutja, Mount Remarkable, Northern Areas, Oororoo-Carrieton, Peterborough, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Roxby Downs, Streaky Bay, Tumby Bay, Whyalla, Wuddina and Yorke Peninsula, parts of Light
Enrolment at close of rolls: 119,957
1999 republic referendum: No 67.7
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 53.3

Sitting member: Rowan Ramsey (Liberal): Elected 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016

2007 Liberal majority over Labor: 4.4%
2010 Liberal majority over Labor: 11.2%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 13.5%
2016 Liberal majority over NXT: 2.0%
2016 notional Liberal majority over Labor: 8.6%
2018 notional Liberal majority over Labor: 8.6%

Status: Very marginal Liberal versus NXT
Status: Fairly safe Liberal versus Labor

  • 2016 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Candidates in ballot-paper order:

    1. Jacquie Edgecombe
    Animal Justice Party
    2. Karin Bolton
    Australian Labor Party
    3. David Stone
    Pauline Hanson's One Nation
    4. Richard Carmody
    Independent
    5. Alexander Warren
    United Australia Party
    6. Rowan Ramsey
    Liberal Party
    7. Andrea Broadfoot
    Centre Alliance
    8. Candace Champion
    Australian Greens



    Candidate websites:

    Karin Bolton
    Andrea Broadfoot
    Candace Champion
    Rowan Ramsey

    Division of Grey

    Grey has existed since South Australia was first divided into electorates in 1903, occupying most of the northern part of South Australia. Originally a largely pastoral and farming seat, Grey later came to be dominated by the mining and smelting towns of Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie, and was a fairly safe Labor seat for many years. The decline of those industries, the decline of the rural working class, and boundary changes which have extended the seat southwards into farming areas such as the Yorke Peninsula, have turned Grey back into a fairly safe Liberal seat in recent years.

    The seat has among the country's lowest median family income levels, and also a low proportion of non English speaking households. It has a high proportion of people engaged in agriculture, mainly on the Yorke and Eyre peninsulas. Although Whyalla is the largest town in the electorate, and still votes solidly Labor, it is now outvoted by the rural parts of the seat. In most of the small rural booths the Liberals get more than 80% of the two-party vote.

    Barry Wakelin won Grey for the Liberals in 1993, after the retirement of the last Labor member. He held it without difficulty until his own retirement in 2007. There was a large swing to Labor at that election, but not enough for Labor to win.

    Rowan Ramsey, Liberal MP for Grey since 2007, was a farmer at Kimba before his election. He has been an inconspicuous backbencher but had no trouble retaining this seat until 2016, when he was held to a 2.0% majority by the Xenophon Team candidate, Andrea Broadfoot. With the withdrawal of Nick Xenophon from politics, this is unlikely to be repeated.

    The Labor candidate is Karin Bolton, a Whyalla social worker. Broadfoot is running again for Centre Alliance, successor to the Xenophon Team. The Greens candidate is Candace Champion, whose occupation is not stated.

    Demographics:

    Median weekly household income: $977 (Australia $1,438)
    People over 65: 20.7% (Australia 15.8%)
    Indigenous: 7.2% (Australia 2.8%)
    Australian born: 81.9% (Australia 66.7%)
    Ancestry: German 6.6%
    Non-English-speaking households: 5.7% (Australia 22.2%)
    Catholics 16.7% (Australia 22.6%)
    No religion 33.8% (Australia 29.6%)
    University graduates: 8.4% (Australia 22.0%)
    Professional and managerial employment: 29.9% (Australia 35.2%)
    Employed in manufacturing and construction: 21.3% (Australia 22.9%)
    Employed in agriculture: 19.0% (Australia 3.3%)
    Paying a mortgage: 28.3% (Australia 34.5%)
    Renting: 30.9% (Australia 30.9%)
    Traditional families: 23.7% (Australia 32.8%)

    Members:

    Hon Alexander Poynton (FT, ALP, Nat) 1903-22
    Andrew Lacey (ALP) 1922-31
    Philip McBride (UAP) 1931-37
    Albert Badman (CP, UAP) 1937-43
    Edgar Russell (ALP) 1943-63
    Jack Mortimer (ALP) 1963b-66
    Don Jessop (Lib) 1966-69
    Laurie Wallis (ALP) 1969-83
    Lloyd O'Neil (ALP) 1983-93
    Barry Wakelin (Lib) 1993-2007
    Rowan Ramsey (Lib) 2007-

    Boundaries following 2018 redistribution:




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