Division of Kingston

Kingston
Australian House of Representatives Division

Kingston (dark green) in the city of Adelaide
Created 1949
MP Amanda Rishworth
Party Labor
Namesake Charles Kingston
Electors 98,775 (2013)
Area 171 km2 (66.0 sq mi)
Demographic Outer Metropolitan

The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south portion of the Adelaide metropolitan area. The 171 km² seat stretches from Hallett Cove and O'Halloran Hill in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south, including the suburbs of Aldinga Beach, Christie Downs, Christies Beach, Hackham, Hallett Cove, Huntfield Heights, Lonsdale, Maslin Beach, Moana, Morphett Vale, Old Noarlunga, Onkaparinga Hills, Port Noarlunga, Reynella, Seaford, Sellicks Beach, Sheidow Park, Port Willunga, Trott Park, Woodcroft, and parts of Happy Valley and McLaren Flat.

The division was first proclaimed in 1949 and is named after Charles Kingston, Premier of South Australia (1893–1899), elected to the first House of Representatives in 1901 and the first Federal member of the Division of Adelaide in 1903. The Liberals and Labor have both alternated for long spells in the seat. It has tended to elect an MP from the governing party of the day, having elected only four opposition MPs. Notably, every sitting member in the electorate's history has been defeated at the polls—none have retired or resigned.[1]

The redistribution before the 2013 election removed Kingston's rural areas with the transfer of around 6,500 voters in McLaren Vale and Willunga to Mayo, increasing Labor's margin by half a percent. This substantially reduced the area covered by the electorate, down from 377 to 171 square kilometres, almost the same as the 2001-2004 boundaries. The previous larger boundaries were used from 2004-2010 and 1993-1998. Boundaries from 1984-1990 were similar to the current but without the southern coastal strip.

Kingston has been represented by Labor MP Amanda Rishworth since the 2007 election where she won with a 54.4 percent two-party vote from a 4.5 percent two-party swing. Going into the 2010 election, it was the most marginal Labor seat in South Australia. However, Rishworth technically made it a safe Labor seat by winning 64 percent of the two-party vote, the strongest result of any party in Kingston's history. At the 2013 election, Rishworth won 59.7 percent of the two-party vote, the second strongest result of any party in Kingston's history. Kingston is the second-safest Labor seat in South Australia.

Members

MemberPartyTerm
  Jim Handby Liberal 1949–1951
  Pat Galvin Labor 1951–1966
  Kay Brownbill Liberal 1966–1969
  Richard Gun Labor 1969–1975
  Grant Chapman Liberal 1975–1983
  Gordon Bilney Labor 1983–1996
  Susan Jeanes Liberal 1996–1998
  David Cox Labor 1998–2004
  Kym Richardson Liberal 2004–2007
  Amanda Rishworth Labor 2007–present

Election results

Australian federal election, 2013: Kingston
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Amanda Rishworth 43,328 49.26 −2.50
Liberal Damien Mills 28,492 32.40 +3.99
Greens Palitja Moore 6,062 6.89 −5.22
Family First Geoff Doecke 5,168 5.88 +0.08
Palmer United Mitchell Frost 3,709 4.22 +4.22
Rise Up Australia Andy Snoswell 1,191 1.35 +1.35
Total formal votes 87,950 94.93 +0.09
Informal votes 4,697 5.07 −0.09
Turnout 92,647 93.80 −0.53
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Amanda Rishworth 52,504 59.70 −4.85
Liberal Damien Mills 35,446 40.30 +4.85
Labor hold Swing −4.85

Notes

  1. ↑ Munro, Ian (26 July 2010). "Labor incumbent looks safe in see-saw seat". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 4 January 2011.

References

Coordinates: 35°12′04″S 138°32′06″E / 35.201°S 138.535°E