Seat of the week: Barker

A conservative rural seat since the dawn of federation, Barker is under new management after Tony Pasin defeated incumbent Patrick Secker for Liberal preselection ahead of the 2013 election.

Blue and red numbers respectively indicate booths with two-party majorities for Liberal and Labor. Click for larger image. Map boundaries courtesy of Ben Raue at The Tally Room.

Barker encompasses South Australia along the Victorian border from Mount Gambier north to the Riverland and its population centres of Renmark, Loxton, Berri and Waikerie, extending westwards to the mouth of the Murray River and the towns of Angaston and Murray Bridge 75 kilometres to the east of Adelaide. It has existed since South Australia was first divided into single-member electorates in 1903, at all times encompassing the state’s south-eastern corner including Mount Gambier, Bordertown and Keith. From there it has generally extended either westwards to the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island or, as at present, northwards to the Riverland. The former territories were lost when Mayo was created with the expansion of parliament in 1984, but recovered from 1993 to 2004 as Mayo was drawn into Adelaide’s outskirts. The Riverland was accommodated by Angas prior to its abolition in 1977, and by Wakefield from 1993 to 2004. Barker’s present dimensions were established when South Australia’s representation was cut from twelve seats to eleven at the 2004 election, causing Barker to take back the Riverland from a radically redrawn Wakefield, while Mayo recovered the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.

The areas covered by Barker presently and in the past have long been safe for the conservatives, the Riverland last having had Labor representation when Albert Smith held Wakefield for a term after the 1943 landslide. Barker has never been in Labor hands, nor come close to doing so since territory in southern Adelaide was ceded to the new seat of Kingston in 1949. Archie Cameron held the seat for the Country Party from 1934 to 1940, having been effectively granted it after helping facilitate a merger of the state’s conservative forces as the Liberal Country League while serving as the Country Party’s state parliamentary leader. Cameron succeeded Earle Page as federal parliamentary leader in 1939 but was deposed after the election the following year, causing him to quit the party and align himself with the United Australia Party and then the Liberal Party, which has held Barker ever since. He was succeeded in Barker on his retirement in 1956 by Jim Forbes, who was in turn succeeded in 1975 by James Porter.

Porter was defeated for preselection in 1990 by Ian McLachlan, a former high-profile National Farmers Federation president whom some were touting as a future prime minister. He would instead serve only a single term as a cabinet minister, holding the defence portfolio in the first term of the Howard government, before retiring at the 1998 election. McLachlan’s successor was Patrick Secker, who led a generally low-profile parliamentary career before being unseated for preselection before the 2013 election. Despite endorsement from Tony Abbott and moderate factional powerbroker Christopher Pyne, Secker reportedly lost a local ballot to Mount Gambier lawyer Tony Pasin by 164 votes to 78, with a further 40 recorded for Millicent real estate agent and Wattle Range councillor Ben Treloar. Pasin picked up a 3.5% swing at the election and holds the seat with a margin of 16.5%.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

3,554 comments on “Seat of the week: Barker”

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  3. AA,

    [Its Tony’s War against unarmed men, women and children in leaky wooden boats desperate to escape regressive regimes.

    Perhaps the best way to deter them would be to have them read a link about Tony Abbott and his war against the low paid, unemployed, disabled and sick in Australia]

    Well said. I’m not going to hold my breath however for those links to be highlighted in the sort of MSM we have. Many journalists and commentators have taken Tones at his word and fallen for the “no surprises” cool aid.

  5. While we are discussing the importance of the Greens vote if Psephos is around i notice that the ALP in Melbourne Ports won both the Domain (South Yarra) and Southbank booths.

    I will curious to know if the Greens didn’t exist would the ALP still be able to win those booths or has the demographic move towards the Liberals in those sorts of areas been overstated.

  6. Guess what? Abbott was lying – again!! What a disgrace he is. he should be removed!! AND SOON…

    The national curriculum for history has been politicised [under Labor]. Tony Abbott on Monday, September 2, 2013 in the National Press Club

    PolitiFact could not find evidence of “politicising” of the national history curriculum. The Coalition’s examples are taken from one part of the curriculum, the years to year 10. However, the current version of the national curriculum, both the junior and senior sections, contains references to politicians of many political flavours and was established with the agreement of all governments from both sides of politics in Australia.

    The curriculum is a guide for teachers and concentrates on building student capabilities. The teachers on the ground will choose the political and other people to study, depending on the topic.

    The lead writer of the history curriculum says claims of politicisation are absurd. Additionally, senior conservative figures such as Robert Menzies and ideas such as capitalism are referenced. John Curtin is not the only prime minister mentioned as an example. There is no evidence that the “day-to-day activities of trade unions” will be studied. The “progressive movements” topic in Year 10 includes ideas such as capitalism and nationalism.

    We rate this claim as False.

  7. RUA

    Now this is where we diverge.

    The clauses that stopped the Malaysian deal were put in at the insistence of good hearted LIBERALS like Broadbent, Moylan and Georgio, specifically to rotect refugees. In tha absence of any clear committmenat from the host country to protect the regfugees, there was a risk that Australia could be sending them to their death or exploitation.

    I had no problem with sending refugees to Malaysia so long as it was certain that they would NOT be sent back to country of origin, that they would have food, shelter and basic medical care and that the children, especially the girls would not find themselves in the hands of sexual predators.

    My problem was that the Malaysian government seemed unwilling to make these basic commitments. I would have been willing to overlook things like education or even use of Malaysian penalties such as flogging, but actual survival is in may view non negotiable.

  10. I suspect if the Greens didn’t exist the ALP would be more left wing as many of the ALP left who went to the Greens would have remained, many in the ALP right would have shifted to the Liberal Party bringing it back towards the centre.

    In the inner city the Greens have been successful at replacing the ALP in traditionally Green booths, East Melbourne is one such booth.

    As the Greens membership expands it will gradually move towards better economic policies, we saw this start to happen at the last election with several positive small business policies.

    This may cause the Greens to become more Liberal although Greens would most likely already claim that they are truly Liberal.

  11. Not only is Abbott an inept lying excuse for a PM his arrogance in believing that people are so stupid that they will not fact check him is beyond belief.

    He lies every time he opens his mouth.

    The problem in Australia is the lack of mainstream media and journalists with the fortitude, courage or ethics to expose him.

  12. Well if you are going to do a review of the curriculum to “depoliticize” it, with a Liberal party staffer as one of the key people to do this “depoliticization”, why not lie about the fact that the curriculum was politicized in the first place? In for a penny, as they say.

  15. Poroti,

    Definitely my last thoughts on this matter, but do you think those Tony Abbott mad monk clones wear budgie smugglers under their robes, or are they like Scotsmen?

    Hope you’re not having your dinner btw.

  16. No doubt the rusted “righties” will come out with the diatribe that Politifact is the ABC which is a left wing cesspool.

    Stupidly and totally ignoring the last 4-6 years of ABC anti-Labor Govt rhetoric.

    Branding the ABC left wing is the rusted on stupid right/tea party following the Orwellian principle. Lie about it often enough and long enough it becomes the new “truth”. It should be recognised for what it is

  17. My brain cell has figured out why the Libs don’t like the History Curriculum. It is intended to teach kids about important events.

    The Libs know they dont do important they only do mediocre and thus will be ignored.

  18. History is a great subject as it can lead to so many interesting topics

    Architecture
    Art
    Science
    Music
    Fashion & Design
    Cultural awareness
    Language
    Economics
    Literature
    Politics
    etc

    A great education is diverse

  20. AA – Politifact was not the ABC’s version. It was sort of an offshoot of the successful American version, and was sponsored by Channel 7 in 2013 in anticipation of the election.

    Post-election it has lost its funding and has basically shut down as I understand it, although its findings will still be available online and archived by the National Library.

    I think the implication is that if anyone wants to give them money they can start up again, but for now they have no funds.

  24. From Twitter

    .I wonder if @TonyAbbottMHR realizes that by giving asylum seekers & their newborns numbers he is doing exactly what Hitler did to the Jews

    being retweeted lots

  26. Changing the curriculum, pushing an ‘approved’ history.
    That’s the sorta thing that two-bit fascist states do, not modern, cosmopolitan, democracies.

  27. [ Jackol
    Posted Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 6:10 pm | Permalink

    I, for one, value Zoomster’s posts – even when she is pointlessly debating that waste of bandwidth Mod Lib.

    I certainly value Zoomster’s contributions a lot more than I have ever valued a post from you, MTBW.

    And if you don’t want to be pinged on this, stop posting the holier-than-thou crap such as that quoted above. ]

    Yes, well said.

    The Zoomster is one of the best posters here.

    Keep up the great work Z – you are laying them in the aisles.

  29. Jackol

    Posted Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 7:46 pm | Permalink

    AA – Politifact was not the ABC’s version. It was sort of an offshoot of the successful American version, and was sponsored by Channel 7 in 2013 in anticipation of the election.
    ——-
    You are right I mixed the two names up

  31. My experiences of learning history at school are a bit of date – I finished primary school in 2000, and did little in the way of SOSE-type subjects in High School – but I remember it being almost entirety about post-Botony Bay, pre-Federation Aussie history, with a smidgeon of WW1 and WW2 thrown in there. It was all the Gold rush, Burke and Wills and their fellow explorers/astonishingly stupid deathseekers, the Eureka stockade, Burke and Wills, various conflicts between convicts and those in charge of the convicts, and of course good old Burke and Wills. I know a lot about Burke and Wills.

    I don’t know if that meant the history curriculum was skewed to the left or the right, but it certainly was skewed towards a lot of rather boring tales of foolish rich explorers discovering exciting new ways to starve to death in the desert (or rainforest).

  33. Asha Leu

    Sounds similar to mind yet an era which i think is very interesting and important to the development of this country politically, economically, socially was the Melbourne Landboom and bust is nearly totally missing.

  34. Yesiree Bob

    Posted Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 7:53 pm | Permalink

    Changing the curriculum, pushing an ‘approved’ history.
    That’s the sorta thing that two-bit fascist states do, not modern, cosmopolitan, democracies.
    ===================================

    Well lets examine the signs of Fascism

    Nationalism – Y
    Disdain for human rights – Y
    Identify an enemy to provide a unifying cause – Y
    Rampant sexism – Y
    Controlled media – Y media controlled Govt?
    Obsession with national security – Y
    Religion and Government intertwined – Y
    Corporate power protected – Y
    Workers suppressed – TRYING
    Disdain for the Arts and intellectuals – working on it
    Obsession with crime and punishment – Y
    Fraudulent elections – N

    Tick them off and see where Abbott and Newman are going

  36. The Politifact story should be, we looked the the Liberal Party policy document on a national curriculum and found out it was crap.

    When we tried to find why no media outlet had discovered this error, the answer was “we are crap”.

  37. Asha

    You can never know too much about Burke and wills. Great story of class warfare, incompetent management, and gross stupidity. Bit like now really.

  38. Another part of history which may have changed if not it fixing, in regards to Aboriginals the focus is very much on the tribal groups from norther Australia yet the local tribal groups appear overlooked.

  39. @poroti

    [You callow youth spring chicken you 🙂 !!!]

    If it makes you feel any better, my hair is receding faster than my 60 year old father’s is, and will probably look John Howard-esque by the time I’m in my thirties. (John Howard as PM that is, not John Howard the treasurer!)

  40. I can see where Cori get’s his view from:

    http://www.news.com.au/national/tea-party-to-whip-up-a-political-storm/story-fncynjr2-1226537489379

    “CANdo, a group created by Liberal firebrand Cory Bernardi and loosely modelled on the right-wing faction of the US Republican Party, also claims gay marriage could lead to Muslim polygamy.”

    Liberals been infiltrated by Tea Party.

    Interestingly: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1485

    &

    http://www.melbourneinstitute.com/miaesr/events/conferences/school/Presentations/Session%202/Donnelly,%20Kevin_161107.pdf

    Can anyone confirm is the same Dr Kevin Donnelly chief of staff?

  41. Asha Leu

    When I went to school there were two history subjects, Ancient History (Greek, Romans, Persian impaling etc) and Modern History. ( 1066, Kings and Queens Cromwell, Civil War, Industrial Revolution, Unions, Brunel, Trains, Wars, Tanks, Planes more wars.)

    Bet Pyne wants to go back to reciting dates, seeing he likes playing with his own.

  42. According to Simon Schama reciting dates is not how history should be taught but it should focus on the people and the events and how the people interacted.

    He dismissed reciting dates as “boring”

  43. I had a teacher of Geography in Form 5 ‘Geoff’.

    He was good, except he had a thing about the Great Dividing Range.

    Standard practice in his class if some one said it was a class room chant:

    “They’re not great, they don’t divide and they’re only foot hills”.

  46. If Pyne is hung up on history maybe he will have a RC to work out what happened to the boys in the tower and who did it?

    Maybe its Pyne’s purpose to discover the truth.

  48. When I was in high school (years 7- 10 in the ACT) history consisted of WW1 and WW2 and that was pretty much it.

    When I completed year 12 in Perth I studied ancient history as an elective in Year 11, and was disappointed that it was all ancient Rome and nothing about indigenous Australia.

    Consequently I chose law for my elective in Year 12.

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