Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election

The House of Representatives

South Australia

Greenway
Division of Grey
Griffith

Rowan Ramsey (Lib)

His Liberal Party
website and his
campaign website

Karin Bolton (ALP)

Her ALP website

Rosalie Garland (Grn)

His Greens website

Mal Holland (FF)

His Family First website

Wilbur Klein (Nat)

His Nationals website

Gil Robertson (Dem)

His Democrats website

Location: Outback SA: Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Whyalla
Division named for: Sir George Grey, Governor of South Australia 1841-45
Median weekly family income: $678 (143rd highest)
Persons born in non English speaking countries: 4.4% (120th highest)
Persons in professional occupations: 27.6% (56th highest)
Persons engaged in agriculture: 16.6% (13th highest)
Persons aged 65 and over: 14.2% (53rd highest)
Couple families with dependent children: 36.3% (102nd highest)
Dwellings being purchased: 20.9% (121st highest)
Sitting member: Barry Wakelin (Liberal), elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004. Retiring 2007
1996 two-party majority: Liberal 08.5
1998 two-party majority: Liberal 08.0
Effect of redistribution: 00.7 shift to Liberal
2001 two-party majority: Liberal 10.6
Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change
2004 primary votes: Labor 30.3, Liberal 56.5, Green 3.3
2004 two-party majority: Liberal 13.8
2004 enrolment: 97,291
2007 enrolment: 98,074 (+00.8%)
Grey has existed since South Australia was first divided into electorates in 1903, occupying most of the northern part of South Australia. Originally a largely pastoral and farming seat, Grey later came to be dominated by the mining and smelting towns of Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie, and was a fairly safe Labor seat for many years. The decline of those industries, the decline of the rural working class, and boundary changes which have extended the seat southwards into farming areas such as the Yorke Peninsula, have turned Grey back into a fairly safe Liberal seat in recent years. The seat has among the country's lowest median family income level, and also a low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries. It has a high proportion of people engaged in agriculture, mainly on the Yorke and Eyre peninsulas. Although Whyalla is the largest town in the electorate, and still votes solidly Labor, it is now outvoted by the rural parts of the seat. In most of the small rural booths the Liberals get more than 80% of the two-party vote: in 2004 they polled 96% at Darkes Peak. Labor carried six booths in Whyalla with around 55% of the vote, but not much else. In 2004 there were strong swings to the Liberals in all the Whyalla booths and most of the other urban booths in the seat, reflecting the failure of Labor under Mark Latham to appeal to working-class voters in regional areas. On the other hand there were some swings to Labor in small rural booths. Barry Wakelin has held Grey for the Liberals since 1993. He is retiring this year, and there are reports that the Liberals are concerned about the seat despite its large Liberal margin. In September it was reported that John Howard had tried unsuccessfully to persuade Wakelin to recontest the seat (see link below).
Candidates in ballot-paper order

Rowan Ramsey (Liberal) is an Eyre Peninsula farmer.
Rosalie Garland (Greens) is a social worker.
Wilbur Klein (Nationals) is an Eyre Peninsula farmer.
Mal Holland (Family First) is a Whyalla road-train driver.
David Wright (Independent) is a minister of religion.
Karin Bolton (Labor) is a social worker in Whyalla.

Gil Robertson (Democrats) is a Port Lincoln farmer.