Seat of the week: Wakefield

Seat of the week visits South Australia one last time to cover Wakefield on the northern fringe of Adelaide, held for Labor since 2007 by Nick Champion.

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

Wakefield extends from outer northern Adelaide to rural territory as far as Clare 100 kilometres to the north, with overwhelming Labor strength around Elizabeth and Salisbury partly balanced by support for the Liberals in the Clare Valley. It has existed in name since South Australia was first divided into electorates in 1903, but its complexion changed dramatically when its southern neighbour Bonython was abolished when the state’s representation was reduced from 12 seats to 11 in 2004. Previously a conservative rural and outskirts seat encompassing the Murray Valley and Yorke Peninsula, it came to absorb the outer suburban industrial centre of Elizabeth while retaining the satellite town of Gawler, the Clare Valley wine-growing district, and the Gulf St Vincent coast from Two Wells north to Port Wakefield.

Prior to 2004, Wakefield was won by the major conservative party of the day at every election except 1938 and 1943, when it was won by Labor, and 1928, when it was won by the Country Party. The Liberal member from 1983 to 2004 was Neil Andrew, who spent the last six years of his parliamentary career serving as Speaker. Andrew at first considered challenging Patrick Secker for preselection in Barker after the 2004 redistribution turned Wakefield’s 14.7% margin into a notional Labor margin of 1.5%, but instead opted to retire. Wakefield was nonetheless retained for the Liberals at the ensuing election by David Fawcett, who picked up a 2.2% swing off a subdued Labor vote around Elizabeth to unseat Martyn Evans, who had held Bonython for Labor since 1994. Fawcett’s slender margin was demolished by a 7.3% swing in 2007, but he would return to parliament as a Senator after the 2010 election.

Wakefield has since been held for Labor by Nick Champion, a former state party president, Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association official and staffer for state Industrial Relations Minister Michael Wright. The SDA link identifies him with the potentate of the South Australian Right, outgoing Senator Don Farrell. He nonetheless went against Farrell by coming out in support of Kevin Rudd in the days before his unsuccessful February 2012 leadership challenge, resigning as caucus secretary to do so. As with Labor’s other South Australian newcomers from the 2007 election, Champion had no trouble retaining his seat at the 2010 election, a 5.4% swing boosting his margin to 12.0%. However, the seat has since returned to the marginal zone following a redistribution in which it traded an area around Salisbury for Lydoch and Williamstown east of Gawler, reducing the margin to 10.3%, and a 7.1% swing to the Liberals at the 2013 election, which has left it at 3.4%.

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.

2,933 comments on “Seat of the week: Wakefield”

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  1. It will be interesting to see upon what conditions the giving of PPL payments will be based. What will happen if some well off lady takes the money and then resigns not long after returning to work? Or not returning at all?
    Will there be punitive action?

  2. Fulvio Sammut
    Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 3:16 pm | PERMALINK
    “What will Abbott do now for a stunt?”

    Put on his speedos and do it solo.

    Or if completely desperate without his speedos???? Getting close!!!

  3. [2196
    MTBW
    Poor Tone he is in all sorts of trouble – wasn’t he a Rhodes Scholar?

    He seems to be all over the shop.

    He needs to go to confession quickly! ]

    And stay there.

  4. ESJ

    This was your original comment:

    [Taxation is theft Adam abdool.]

    So therefore, according to you, any requirement to pay tax is objectionale (even if a legal obligation). Now you are talking about “need”, compulsion and legal requirements.

    Slipping and sliding like Abbott.

    So you think others should fund roads, hospitals, schools, etc, but you shouldn’t, because it is theft from you.

    That is immoral.

  5. @2454

    ESJ just wants to be back to the future so he can go back in time where there were no taxes like GST in Australia.

    Like all Liberals, they wish to go back to that time for some strange reason.

  8. Zoid, it is worse than that. Like most Tories, I suspect ESJ just wants a free ride. It is his entitlement, after all. That sort of attitude really is parasitic. And we see it now coming out of ICAC. All these spivs want “the good life” but are not prepared to put in the hard yards to get there. Not prepared to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

    They really are a shadow on Australian society.

  9. [ Hah, Laurie Oakes on Abbott: “dissolving faster than an aspirin”. ]

    Overwhelmingly, his troubles are all by his own hand and mouth.

    The real budget nasty’s haven’t been seen yet and if its not nasty enough they will still be in trouble for having hyped everything.

    FFS – abbott hasn’t even faced a particularly probing long format interview yet and he walks away from pressers when things get even a little hot for him.

    And he is still in trouble so early into his term.

    Is there a group abbott hasn’t upset yet – apart from ESJ who gets his own group.

  10. [Well lynch I certainly don’t believe in paying for things like pink batt rorts and dodgy school halls]

    Huh?

    What a stupid comment.

  12. Dumbo Newman has just stated he considered a debt levy but decided to slash jobs instead.

    Have the Libs all turned into political nincompoops?

  13. Abbott Spin Doctor in full swing

    Paul Sheehan goes full steam ahead with it’s only a “tweak” line on PPP revisions

    Some much spin they even have shot of Abbott & Credlin on office desk ( won’t go there!), shows demure Credlin in pose being shorter( she’s actually taller than Tone) than Abbott in tough HE man in charge pose.

    F**k Tonys ego must be fragile

    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-tweak-that-prime-minister-tony-abbott-had-to-make-20140430-zr1ta.html

    Paul Sheehan articles should carry byline … All opinion no facts implied or expressed

  15. dave 2459

    s there a group abbott hasn’t upset yet – apart from ESJ who gets his own group.

    The flying squad of Sydney University Young Liberals Club??

    :devil:

  20. This is getting disgusting. I assume Tony will enlarge one of his RCs to look at this crap.

    [Kate McClymont ‏@Kate_McClymont 5m
    Last witness of the day accountant Tim Trumbrull has reached his max $5k donation but used backpackers to hide further Lib donations]

  21. Mari – I really wonder if his own mob might end up doing the job on him.

    I know it seems way off the mark atm, but who knows as abbott increasingly becomes a liability.

    He/ they really need a well received budget but are doing almost everything in order to get the opposite outcome.

    Making Pensioners deeply worried for another two and a half years is just plain dumb and well as cruel.

  23. When asked if his party would block the proposal in the Senate, Mr Shorten said he would have to wait to see the detail of what was proposed.
    “But we will fight a tax increase on ordinary Australians,” he said. “Labor will have no part of it.”

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/deficit-tax-faces-hurdle-in-senate-20140429-zr18a.html#ixzz30LVQaVEu

    Such nonsensical and ridiculous comments from Bill Shorten.

  29. Interesting change in reporting.

    [The water company, run by Liberal fundraiser Nick Di Girolamo, was the subject of a previous Icac inquiry. The PPP it was seeking would have made millions for people linked to the company, including the federal Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos. Records show that it paid $183,000 to Eightbyfive for undisclosed political consulting services.]

    Not an Obeid to be seen,

  36. Retweeted by Rob Oakeshott
    Quentin Dempster ‏@QuentinDempster 1h

    As pure as the driven slush: Liberal Party money laundry exposed at ICAC. Both major parties tainted by corruption. Need fundamental reform.

  37. [Such nonsensical and ridiculous comments from Bill Shorten.]

    Yes we know Rex. You posted the same thing yesterday.

    Time to trot back to the Menzies House site for you, I suspect.

  41. dave

    [Making Pensioners deeply worried for another two and a half years is just plain dumb and well as cruel.]

    To me, this was Abbott’s stand out eff-up for the week. Just plain nuts. Who is advising him politically?

  45. Anyone who suggests including the family home in an asset test deserves to be ridiculed.

    Is everyone meant to sell their home and buy a winnebago at 65-70?

  47. Needs to be one comment for William’s analysis. Martin Evans is half of the pair of Labor time-servers who was attempted to be foisted on the Wakefield/Light area over recent years. Annette Hurley in Light in 2002 being the other glorious example of strategy failure. Both bit the dust and demonstrated the Labor weakness in campaigning in rural and near rural areas of outer Adelaide around Gawler.

    Martin Evans has moved on to among other things being the public relations person managing community consultation for a proposed 100,000 person urban expansion around Roseworthy – just on northern side of Gawler. This piece of “planning” got started with Labor Planning Minister Paul Holloway several years ago with his vision for a major 30 year population expansion for SA (well above the ABS predictions).

    The main proponent of the Roseworthy development is the Hickinbotham company headed by well-known Liberal heavyweight Michael Hickinbotham. Hickinbotham is rumoured to have put a fair bit of dosh into the 2014 State Liberal campaign and also ran a $500 a head Liberal fundraiser at his home with Stephen Marshall.

    SA Liberals gave some serious support to the Roseworthy development while Labor ended up promising only to look a a scaled back proposal for 8,000 people. Turning about 10,000 hectares of high quality agricultural land into housing didn’t appeal much to the voters and the result in Light was no swing to the Liberals.

    Martine Evans might be looking for other opportunities.

  48. [To me, this was Abbott’s stand out eff-up for the week. Just plain nuts. Who is advising him politically?]

    Remember just a couple of weeks ago the Insiders’ nodding heads all cioncurred that it had been his best week, complete with Claytons FTAs, Find-The-Boats and Tony looking “Prime Ministerial”?

    Jesus wept. WHAT are they going to say about THIS week?

    The entire foundation of his budget ripped away, and only a fortnight to go to find something to replace it.

    Backflips, lies, parsing of Abbott’s words (by Abbott), promises discarded, redoubts abandoned and even Miranda Devine (usually mad as a cut snake) railing against him.

  49. zoidlord@2475

    [How did they manage to con Backpackers?]

    “Dear Sir,

    Please allowing me to introduce myself as I received your contact details and assured that you will be a respectable man of good character. My name is Arthur Sinodinos a formerly CHIEF OF THE STAFF to PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD.

    I have a need of your assistance…”

  50. Getting closer at ICAC , TimothyTrumbull, a very assiduous donor of multiple $4,000 amounts to the Liberal Party gave the cheques to Hartcher (yesterday’s evidence) and got his Irish backpacker employes to raise donations, which were given to John Caputo.

    John Caputo is a fundraiser for a PM and a Premier on Sydney’s northern beaches, and will be in the dock tomorrow.

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