A
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
for the seat of
Dunstan
Dunstan ( – 19 May 988), was an English bishop and Benedictine monk. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised. His work restored monastic life in En ...
in the
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.
Overview
The House of Assem ...
was held on 23 March 2024, following the resignation of incumbent member and former
premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
Steven Marshall
Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is a former Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He was a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...
, which was announced on 24 January 2024.
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
candidate
Cressida O'Hanlon
Cressida Clytie O'Hanlon (born 1972) is an Australian politician from the South Australian Labor Party, Labor Party. She has been a member of the South Australian House of Assembly since winning the 2024 Dunstan state by-election. She contested ...
was elected the new member, defeating
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
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
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
. 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.
Background
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
MP and former
premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
Steven Marshall
Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is a former Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He was a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...
.
Dunstan is considered an ultra-
marginal seat
A marginal seat or swing seat is a constituency held with a small majority in a legislative election, generally one conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada, they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat. T ...
, 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
Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
), Marshall came close to
losing his own seat.
2022 result
Candidates
List of candidates as they appear on the ballot order.
* Frankie Bray (
Animal Justice Party
The Animal Justice Party (AJP) is a political party in Australia founded in 2009 by Steve Garlick. The party was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 3 May 2011. The party is also registered in New South Wales, Queenslan ...
)
* Cressida O'Hanlon (
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
)
* Katie McCusker (
Greens)
* Anna Finizio (
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
)
* Nicole Hussey (
Australian Family Party
The Australian Family Party is a political party registered in South Australia. It fielded six candidates in the 2022 South Australian state election which was held on 19 March 2022. In its first appearance in the state election, it garnered 0 ...
)
Results
See also
*
List of South Australian House of Assembly by-elections
This is a list of by-elections and scheduled by-elections for the South Australian House of Assembly.
A by-election may be held when a member's seat becomes vacant through resignation, death or some other reasons. These vacancies are called casua ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunstan state by-election, 2024
Dunstan
Dunstan ( – 19 May 988), was an English bishop and Benedictine monk. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised. His work restored monastic life in En ...
March 2024 in Australia
2024Dunstan