SA Labor opens preselection for key federal seats
The South Australian branch of the Labor Party has opened nominations for eight federal seats in preparation for an election, InDaily understands.
The state executive met last night and decided to open nominations until 12 noon on 31 July, with any contests to be decided by 27 August.
Former Labor member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, who lost the marginal seat by just 1.89 per cent to Liberal Matt Williams in 2013, is expected to nominate as a candidate for the western suburbs electorate.
Georganas told InDaily he would be talking to family and colleagues over the coming days before making any nomination, but indicated he was likely to seek preselection.
“I understand the party’s opened up nominations today – I’m certainly very passionate about my community and I feel that Hindmarsh deserves better than its current MP and Government,” he said.
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He said there was “a process to go through” but he would welcome an opportunity to represent Labor again in Hindmarsh.
Hindmarsh is Labor’s key South Australian target at the next federal election, although it continues to have high hopes – dashed repeatedly in past elections – for the southern suburbs seat of Boothby. Some in the party also believe that frontbencher Christopher Pyne’s eastern suburbs seat of Sturt could also be in play, although other party figures are less optimistic.
Labor pre-selection is open for the seats of Adelaide, Boothby, Hindmarsh, Kingston, Makin, Port Adelaide, Sturt and Wakefield, five of which are held by Labor.
Georganas held Hindmarsh for nearly 10 years, being first elected in 2004 and losing the seat with Labor relinquished power in 2013 with an 8 per cent swing to the Liberals.
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The two-party preferred margin is just over 3500 votes, and Labor has high hopes of recapturing the seat on the back of dissatisfaction over the Federal Government’s handling of the future submarines contract.
Labor sources expect Georganas to nominate.
InDaily has reported previously that Georganas has “never stopped campaigning” for the seat, following his defeat.
In Boothby, long-serving Liberal member Andrew Southcott has a comfortable margin, achieving a swing to him in 2013. He captured more than 57 per cent of the two-party preferred vote against now state Labor MP Annabel Digance.
In Sturt, Pyne took his seat into safe territory at the 2013 election, achieving a substantial swing to hit more than 60 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
However, the political environment has changed greatly since then, with Labor attempting to move on from the Rudd-Gillard battles, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott leading a government that is unpopular in South Australia. Labor consistently leads the Coalition in South Australia on federal voting intention.
InDaily understands Labor will open the remaining South Australian seats for preselection in the weeks following the party’s national conference to be held in Melbourne from 24-26 July.
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