Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Boothby, South Australia

Named for: William Boothby (1829-1903), Electoral Commissioner for SA 1854-1903, SA returning officer for the first federal election


< Bonner previous seat | next seat Bowman >
Return to alphabetical list of seats


Southern Adelaide: Ascot Park, Brighton, Eden Hills, Glenelg, Mitcham

Enrolment at 2019 election: 123,969
Enrolment at 2022 election: 128,592 (+03.9)
1999 republic referendum: Yes 51.9
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 68.5
2023 Voice referendum: No 52.0


Sitting member: Louise Miller-Frost (Labor): Elected 2022


2007 Liberal majority over Labor: 2.9%
2010 Liberal majority over Labor: 0.8%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 7.1%
2016 Liberal majority over Labor: 3.8%
2019 Liberal majority over Labor: 1.4%
2022 Labor majority over Liberal: 3.3%

Status: Very marginal Labor
Labor two-party vote 1983-2022


  • 2022 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Announced candidates:

    Nicolle Flint
    Liberal Party
    Louise Miller-Frost
    Australian Labor Party

    Division of Boothby

    Boothby has existed since South Australia was first divided into electorates in 1903. Until 1949 it covered most of Adelaide's southern and eastern suburbs and was politically marginal. In 1949 it was made into a very safe Liberal seat, which it remained until the 1993 redistribution shifted it westwards to take in the politically marginal beachside suburbs. Boothby is a fairly wealthy area - on its current boundaries no longer among the wealthiest seats, but still with an above-average level of people in professional and managerial occupations.

    Since 1993 Boothby has remained marginal, though until 2022 always retained by the Liberals. Labor ran determined campaigns in 2007 and 2010, and came very close to winning in 2010, but in 2013 the Liberal margin blew out to 7.5%. A swing back to Labor in 2016 reduced the margin, and there was a further swing to Labor in 2019, reducing the Liberal margin to 1.4%. The slow drift to Labor in Boothby is typical of upper-income urban seats across Australia. Labor finally captured the seat in 2024, when upper-income seats across Australia rejected the Morrison government.

    Boothby was held from 1966 to 1981 by John McLeay, a junior minister in the Fraser Government. Since then it has been held by three Liberal backbenchers: Steele Hall (a former SA Premier), Dr Andrew Southcott, who retired in 2016 after 20 years, and Nicolle Flint, who was a doctoral student and media commentator before her election. In March 2021 Flint announced that she would not recontest the seat.

    Louise Miller-Frost, Labor MP for Boothby since 2022, has held a number of senior posts local and state government, mainly in the health field. She was General Manager of the City of Burnside 2012-17 and CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society 2020-22. The Liberals will be keen to regain this seat in 2025, and since it is the only genuinely marginal seat in South Australia it will attract a lot of attention from both parties. The Liberal candidate will be the former member Nicole Flint.


    Boundaries following most recent redistribution:



    See full-size map of this Division



  • Back to main page