2024 Dunstan state by-election

State by-election in South Australia

2024 Dunstan state by-election

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| <- 2022 | 23 March 2024 | 2026 ->

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Electoral district of Dunstan in the South Australian House of Assembly
Turnout| 24,447 (80.8%  8.9)
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

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Candidate  | Cressida O'Hanlon | Anna Finizio  | Katie McCusker
Party  | Labor | Liberal | Greens
Popular vote  | 6,896  | 9,334 | 4,116
Percentage  | 32.1%  | 43.5% | 19.2%
Swing  |  3.1  |  3.2  |  5.5
TPP | 50.8% | 49.2%  |
TPP swing  |  1.4  |  1.4  |

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The electoral district of Dunstan (highlighted in green) in the greater Adelaide area.

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| MP before election

Steven Marshall
Liberal

| Elected MP

Cressida O'Hanlon
Labor

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A by-election for the seat of Dunstan in the South Australian House of Assembly was held on 23 March 2024, following the resignation of incumbent member and former Premier Steven Marshall, which was announced on 24 January 2024.[1]

Labor candidate Cressida O'Hanlon was elected the new member, defeating Liberal 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. 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.[2]

## Background

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The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting Liberal MP and former Premier Steven Marshall.

Dunstan is considered an ultra-marginal seat, 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), Marshall came close to losing his own seat.

### 2022 result

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2022 South Australian state election (House of Assembly) § Dunstan.[edit]

2022 South Australian state election: Dunstan Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

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| Liberal | Steven Marshall | 11,219  | 46.7  | −2.6
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 8,445  | 35.2  | +6.4
| Greens | Kay Moncrieff  | 3,279  | 13.7  | +4.7
| Family First | Tony Holloway  | 1,067  | 4.4  | +4.4
Total formal votes  | 24,010  | 98.2  |
Informal votes  | 437  | 1.8  |
Turnout | 24,447  | 89.7  |
Two-party-preferred result
| Liberal | Steven Marshall | 12,135  | 50.5  | −6.9
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 11,875  | 49.5  | +6.9
| Liberal hold | Swing | −6.9 |

## Candidates

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List of candidates as they appear on the ballot order.

* Frankie Bray (Animal Justice Party)[3]
* Cressida O'Hanlon (Labor)[4]
* Katie McCusker (Greens)[5]
* Anna Finizio (Liberal)[6]
* Nicole Hussey (Australian Family Party)

## Results

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2024 Dunstan state by-election[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

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| Liberal | Anna Finizio  | 9,334  | 43.5  | −3.2
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 6,896  | 32.1  | −3.1
| Greens | Katie McCusker  | 4,116  | 19.2  | +5.5
| Animal Justice | Frankie Bray  | 682  | 3.2  | +3.2
| Australian Family | Nicole Hissey  | 440  | 2.0  | +2.0
Total formal votes  | 21,468  | 98.1  | −0.2
Informal votes  | 425  | 1.9  | +0.2
Turnout | 21,893  | 80.8  | −8.9
Two-party-preferred result
| Labor | Cressida O'Hanlon | 10,914  | 50.8  | +1.4
| Liberal | Anna Finizio  | 10,554  | 49.2  | −1.4
| Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.4 |

## See also

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* List of South Australian House of Assembly by-elections

## References

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1. ^ "Former premier Steven Marshall announces he will soon retire from state parliament". The Advertiser.
2. ^ Liberals behind in Dunstan by-election, 23 March 2024, retrieved 23 March 2024
3. ^ "Frankie Bray". Animal Justice Party South Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
4. ^ "Cressida O'Hanlon". South Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
5. ^ "Katie McCusker". Greens SA. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
6. ^ "Anna Finizio | Liberal Candidate for Dunstan". voteanna.com.au. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
7. ^ "Dunstan By-Election 2024". ECSA. Retrieved 3 April 2024.