2015 Davenport state by-election

* * *

|  | 31 January 2015 |

|
|

|   | First party  | Second party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Candidate  | Sam Duluk | Mark Ward  | Jody Moate
Party  | Liberal | Labor | Greens
Popular vote  | 9,740 | 6,927  | 2,584
Percentage  | 46.9% | 33.4%  | 12.5%
Swing  |  4.1pp  |  4.8pp  |  2.8pp
TPP | 53.1% | 46.9%  |
TPP swing  |  5.0pp  |  5.0pp  |

* * *

Electoral district of Davenport in the southern metropolitan area of Adelaide.

* * *

| MP before election

Iain Evans
Liberal

| Elected MP

Sam Duluk
Liberal

|

A by-election for the seat of Davenport in the South Australian House of Assembly was held on 31 January 2015. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Party of Australia MP and former Liberal leader Iain Evans, who retained the seat at the 2014 election on a 58.1 (−2.8) percent two-party-preferred vote.[1][2][3] Liberal Sam Duluk went on to win the seat despite a five-point two-party swing, turning the historically safe seat of Davenport in to a marginal for the first time.[4]

The by-election was held on the same day as the 2015 Queensland state election.

## Dates

[edit]

Date  | Event[5]

|

3 January 2015  | Writ of election issued by the Governor
13 January 2015  | Close of electoral rolls
16 January 2015  | Close of nominations
31 January 2015  | Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm

## Candidates

[edit]

5 candidates in ballot paper order[5]

| Liberal Party of Australia | Sam Duluk | Accountant. Liberal candidate for seat of Fisher at the previous election.[5]
| Family First Party | Natasha Edmonds  | Family First candidate for Davenport at the previous election.[5]
| Independent Australian Democrats | Jeanie Walker  | Involved in property investing and management and is an Aboriginal Family Violence Case Manager. Contested the 2014 Fisher by-election.[5]
| Australian Labor Party | Mark Ward  | City of Mitcham councillor for last eight years, has served as Deputy Mayor. Urrbrae Agricultural High School teacher. Centennial Park Cemetery board member.[5]
| Greens | Jody Moate  | Retail sector worker. Volunteers with numerous community groups.[5]

## Result

[edit]

2015 Davenport state by-election[6][7][8] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Sam Duluk | 9,740  | 46.9  | −4.1
| Labor | Mark Ward  | 6,927  | 33.4  | +4.8
| Greens | Jody Moate  | 2,584  | 12.5  | −2.8
| Family First | Natasha Edmonds  | 816  | 3.9  | −1.2
| Independent Democrat | Jeanie Walker  | 685  | 3.3  | +3.3
Total formal votes  | 20,752  | 97.1  | −0.7
Informal votes  | 613  | 2.9  | +0.7
Turnout | 21,365  | 85.7  | −7.7
Two-party-preferred result
| Liberal | Sam Duluk | 11,021  | 53.1  | −5.0
| Labor | Mark Ward  | 9,731  | 46.9  | +5.0
| Liberal hold | Swing | −5.0 |

Liberal Sam Duluk won the seat with a -4.1 point swing, with the Liberal party failing to win outright and relying on preferences.[4] South Australian Newspoll at the time of the Davenport by-election recorded a statewide seven percent two-party swing from Liberal to Labor[citation needed]. ABC election analyst Antony Green described the Davenport by-election as "another poor result for the South Australian Liberal Party"[9] following the 2014 Fisher by-election which saw Labor go from minority to majority government following a 7.3 percent two-party swing.[10] As with the Fisher by-election, much of the anti-Liberal swing was attributed to the unpopularity of then Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and a remark from then Defence Minister David Johnston several days before the Fisher by-election that he wouldn't trust South Australia's Australian Submarine Corporation to "build a canoe".[11][12][13] Additionally, just a couple of days before the Davenport by-election, Abbott's infamous knighting of Prince Philip occurred.[14][15][16]

## See also

[edit]

* 2014 Fisher state by-election
* 2018 South Australian state election#Polling
* List of South Australian House of Assembly by-elections
* Electoral results for the district of Davenport

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "South Australia set for two by-elections, in Fisher and Davenport state electorates". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
2. ^ Speaker Michael Atkinson defends decision to separate two SA by-elections: ABC 21 October 2014
3. ^ Davenport by-election date in South Australia set for January 31: ABC 13 November 2014
4. ^ a b Liberals withstand swing to win by-election in South Australian seat of Davenport: ABC 31 January 2015
5. ^ a b c d e f g 2015 Davenport by-election: Antony Green ABC
6. ^ Distribution of preferences, 2015 Davenport by-election: ECSA
7. ^ 2015 Davenport by-election result: Antony Green ABC
8. ^ "2015 Davenport by-election result: ECSA". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
9. ^ 2015 Davenport by-election commentary: Antony Green ABC
10. ^ Fisher by-election win for Labor gives Weatherill Government majority in SA: ABC 13 December 2014
11. ^ Defence Minister says he 'wouldn't trust' Australian Submarine Corporation to build a canoe: ABC 25 November 2014
12. ^ Is Tony Abbott the hazard for Liberals in Fisher by-election?: The Advertiser 30 November 2014
13. ^ Abbott government forced into sub-mission after shock loss in South Australia: Sydney Morning Herald 9 December 2014
14. ^ Davenport by-election: Tony Abbott's decision to knight Prince Philip could affect voters: ABC 29 January 2015
15. ^ Large swing to Labor at SA by-election another warning to PM Abbott: Nine News 2 February 2015
16. ^ Tony Abbott reels from Queensland election debacle: Financial Review 2 February 2015

## External links

[edit]

* 2015 Davenport By-election: Antony Green ABC
* 2015 Davenport By-election: ECSA
* How-To-Vote (HTV) cards, 2015 Davenport By-election: ECSA