Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Port Adelaide, South Australia
Northern Adelaide: Parafield Gardens, Port Adelaide, Salisbury, Woodville
Sitting member: Hon Mark Butler (Labor), elected 2007
Enrolment at close of rolls: 113,342
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 14.0%

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Candidates in ballot-paper order:

1. Matthew Carey
Australian Greens
2. Bruce Hambour
Family First
3. Janine Clipstone
Animal Justice Party
4. Jenalie Salt
Christian Democrats
5. Hon Mark Butler
Australian Labor Party
6. Emma Jane Flowerdew
Liberal Party
7. Michael Slattery
Nick Xenophon Team



  • 2013 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Port Adelaide was created in 1949, based on the working-class suburbs around the port of Adelaide, and has always been among the safest Labor seats in Australia. Recent redistributions have expanded the seat into newer suburbs to the north-east, without changing its social or political composition. It has among the lowest level of median family income of any urban electorate (only the Cabramatta- Liverpool area in western Sydney is poorer), and also a very low level of people in professional occupations. Compared with similar seats in other states, however, it has a relatively low level of people born in non English speaking countries.

    Port Adelaide's most eminent member was Mick Young, who was federal secretary of the Labor Party in the Whitlam years and a minister in the Hawke Government. Rod Sawford won the 1988 by-election following Young's resignation and spent 19 years on the backbench until his retirement in 2007.

    Mark Butler, Labor MP for Port Adelaide since 2007, was South Australian state secretary of the Liquour, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union before his election. Despite this, he comes from a prominent Adelaide establishment family. He is the great-grandson and great-great-grandson respectively of two conservative premiers of South Australia, Sir Richard B Butler and Sir Richard L Butler. He was a parliamentary secretary from 2009 and a minister from 2010. He was Minister for Climate Change and for the Environment, Heritage and Water in the last months of the Rudd- Gillard Government. He is now shadow minister for the same portfolios.

    Port Adelaide remains one of the safest Labor seats in Australia. The Liberal candidate is Emma Jane Flowerdew, who is Managing Director at Curious Meerkat Media.







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