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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Mayo, South Australia
Named for: Helen Mayo (1878-1967), social activist and first woman
elected to a University Council in Australia
East and south of Adelaide: McLaren Vale, Mt Barker, Stirling, Strathalbyn, Victor Harbor
Enrolment at 2019 election: 122,291
Enrolment at 2022 election: 130,646 (+06.9)
1999 republic referendum: No 50.8
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 64.7
2023 Voice referendum: No 59.8
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Sitting member: Rebekha Sharkie (Centre Alliance): Elected 2016. Resigned 2018. Elected 2018 by-election, 2019, 2022
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2007 Liberal majority over Labor: 7.1%
2008 by-election Liberal majority over Greens: 3.0%
2010 Liberal majority over Labor: 7.4%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 12.5%
2016 Nick Xenophon Team majority over Liberal: 5.0%
2018 by-election Centre Alliance majority over Liberal: 7.6%
2019 Centre Alliance majority over Liberal: 5.1%
2022 Centre Alliance majority over Liberal: 12.3%
Status: Safe Centre Alliance (versus Liberal)
Liberal two-party vote 1984-2022
2022 results
Statistics and history
Division of Mayo
Mayo was created in 1984, in the Adelaide Hills area east of Adelaide. This is one of the wealthiest suburban areas in
Australia, and the seat was very safe for the Liberal Party until 2016. In 2004 the seat was extended southwards to take
in the farming areas of the Flerieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, and the retirement centre of Victor Harbor. These areas
lowered the overall median family income of the seat, without much affecting it politically. Mayo used to be one of the
Australian Democrats' best seats, and in 1990 and again in 1998 they gave the Liberals a scare, nearly stealing the seat on
Labor preferences. With the collapse of the Democrats, however, the Liberals became very secure - or so they thought.
Mayo's first member was
Alexander Downer, whose father
Sir Alexander Downer represented much the same area as member for
Angas from 1949 to 1964. Downer was an unsuccessful Opposition Leader from 1994 to 1995. He then served as Australia's
longest-serving Foreign Minister under
John Howard. He resigned following the 2007 election defeat.
The subsequent by-election was won by
Jamie Briggs, an adviser to Howard and other ministers. Briggs was a junior
minister in the Abbott-Turnbull Government but resigned in December 2015 following revelations of inappropriate behavior.
The damage to his reputation made him vulnerable to the Xenophon Team candidate, Rebekha Sharkie, a former member of
Briggs's staff, who duly defeated him at the 2016 election.
In May 2018 the British-born Sharkie resigned when the High Court's ruling in the
case of Senator
Katy Gallagher made it clear that she had not successfully renounced her claim to British citizenship. At
the July by-election, Sharkie was challenged by
Georgina Downer, daughter of Alexander, but was re-elected with an
increased majority. Downer ran again in 2019 but was again defeated by Sharkie.
Rebekha Sharkie, Centre Alliance MP for Mayo 2016-18 and since the 2018 by-election, worked for SA Liberal leader
Isobel Redmond, for Jamie Briggs and for state Liberal MP
Rachel Sanderson. In 2012 she became national Executive Officer
of Youth Connections, and 2014 she became Senior Manager at Helping Young People Achieve. Having now won this seat four times, she seems
fairly secure.
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