<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<document>
<title>South Australian state election, 2006</title>
<authors>Wikipedia</authors>
<publisher>wikipedia.org</publisher>
<publishedplace>network</publishedplace>
<publishedyear>2010</publishedyear>
<edition></edition>
<category>2006 elections in Australia</category>
<section id="31589" fatherid="0" title="" lv="" priority="-1" level="1">
The state election for the 51st Parliament of South Australia was held in the Australian state of South Australia on 18 March 2006, and was conducted by the independent State Electoral Office. The centre- Australian Labor Party, in government since 2002 under Premier Mike Rann, gained six Liberal-held seats and a 7.7 percent statewide two-party preferred swing,SA 2006 election results and outcomes (PDF), (a) P.14 (d) P.13, State Electoral Office, South Australia, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. resulting in the first Labor majority government since the 1985 election with 28 of the 47 House of Assembly (lower house) seats, a net gain of five seats. The centre- Liberal Party of Australia, led by Leader of the Opposition Rob Kerin, regained a former independent seat while losing seats - the net result of 15 seats was the lowest Liberal result in any South Australian election.Electoral questions and answers:  Election results: House of Assembly 1890–2002 (PDF), (a) Q.19 (b) Q.45, State Electoral Office, South Australia, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Independent members Bob Such and Rory McEwen retained their seats, with Kris Hanna successfully changing from Labor to an independent member. The sitting Nationals SA member Karlene Maywald retained her seat.
Independents: Rory McEwen, Bob Such, Kris Hanna
In the 22-member Legislative Council (upper house), both major parties finished with a total of eight seats each, with Labor winning four and the Liberals winning three. No Pokies independent Nick Xenophon polled 20.5 percent, an unprecedented result for an independent or minor party which resulted in both Xenophon and his running mate, Ann Bressington being elected. Xenophon's third running mate, John Darley, was appointed to the vacancy created by Xenophon's later resignation. Family First had a second member elected, the Democrats vote collapsed leaving one remaining member, and the SA Greens won a seat for the first time.
Following the outcome of the election, the member for Davenport, Iain Evans, replaced Kerin as leader of the Liberal Party and thus Leader of the Opposition,Emmett, Patrick. Can Liberals heal rifts? Stateline SA, 24 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. with member for Waite, Martin Hamilton-Smith replacing Evans in April 2007.New Liberal Leader Stateline (ABC), 13 April 2007.  Retrieved on 6 May 2007.

</section>
<section id="31590" fatherid="0" title="Party backgrounds" lv="" priority="2" level="1">
<section id="31591" fatherid="31590" title="Australian Labor Party" lv="" priority="1" level="2">
The Australian Labor Party is Australia's oldest political party, founded in 1891. It is a centre- social democratic party which is formally linked to the trade union labour movement. On a state level, Labor has been in government since 2002, after having been in opposition from 1993 to 2002. Since the 1970 election ending decades of electoral malapportionment of the Playmander, nine of 12 elections have been won by Labor. Labor's premiers in South Australia include Thomas Price in the 1900s, to the reformist Don Dunstan in the 1970s to the factionally nonaligned and pragmatic current premier, Mike Rann.Rann nominated for National ALP President, Government of South Australia, 16 August 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The party's deputy leader, and therefore the Deputy Premier, is Kevin Foley.
</section>
<section id="31592" fatherid="31590" title="Liberal Party of Australia" lv="" priority="2" level="2">
The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre- conservative liberal party (see Liberalism in Australia), with close links to business and advocating free markets. Whilst primarily a social conservative party, there exists a more social liberal wing, colloquially known as 'wet', 'moderate' or small-l liberals, highlighted by the short-lived Liberal Movement who first contested the 1975 election as a separate party led by Steele Hall. At state level, the Liberal Party of Australia in 1973 descended from the Liberal and Country League (LCL), which resulted from a merger between the Liberal Federation and the then-Country Party in 1932. The state opposition leader at the 2006 election, Rob Kerin, was factionally nonaligned.Parker, Lachlan. New Liberal Premier for SA, ABC PM Transcript, 22 October 2001. Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
</section>
<section id="31593" fatherid="31590" title="Nationals SA" lv="" priority="3" level="2">
The Nationals SA are a sub-division of the conservative National Party of Australia (formerly the Country Party). First contesting the 1965 election, they have only held two seats at alternating periods; Flinders (1973–1993) and Chaffey (1997–current).Past Elections (House of Assembly), ABC Elections SA, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Their sole member and leader, Karlene Maywald, representing the Riverland district of Chaffey, accepted a cabinet position in the Rann Labor government, as Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, and later Minister for Water Security.Sexton, Mike. SA "Labor deal promises Nats Cabinet position", ABC 7:30 Report transcript, 15 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. This informal ALP-NAT coalition (the first since 1935) caused uproar, with Christopher Pyne calling for Maywald's expulsion from the Nationals and Patrick Secker calling for a corruption enquiry in to the appointment – neither eventuated.SA Govt recruits National Party MP, ABC PM transcript, 23 July 2004.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007. As the Liberal Party in South Australia is descended from a historical merger from an earlier Country Party, the SA Nationals are not as dominant in rural areas as their eastern state counterparts.
</section>
<section id="31594" fatherid="31590" title="SA Greens" lv="" priority="4" level="2">
The SA Greens, founded in 1995 are a sub-division of the -wing Australian Greens. They are based on green politics and consider themselves a new politics party with strong beliefs in ecology, democracy and social justice amongst other issues.The Greens Charter, sa.greens.org.au, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Federally and locally they have seen a continued rise in primary votes, in part due to the demise of the Australian Democrats.Implications for democracy in the Festival State(PDF), Australian National University, April, 2006, page 5. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The 2007 federal election saw 77.28% of preferences flow to Labor over the Liberal Party in SA. The party's leader is Mark Parnell.
</section>
<section id="31595" fatherid="31590" title="Family First Party" lv="" priority="5" level="2">
The Family First Party, founded immediately before the 2002 state election, has a political ideology based on Christian-influenced conservatism. Although officially a secular party, it has close links to the Pentecostal movement,Who is Family First?, ABC - Matt Liddy's Poll Vault, 21 September 2004.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and in particular the Assemblies of God denomination,Family First, Faith Second, Christian Democratic Party, November, 2004.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and its social policies generally mirror conservative Christian values (but not necessarily politically conservative values). The 2007 federal election saw 57.10% of preferences flow to the Liberals over the Labor Party in SA. The party's leader at the time of the election was Andrew Evans.
</section>
<section id="31596" fatherid="31590" title="Australian Democrats" lv="" priority="6" level="2">
The Australian Democrats were originally a centrist party, with most current policies based on social liberalism. Federally, the party was founded in 1977 from three different groups, all of which had split from the Liberal Party at different times: the Liberal Movement, which had split from its parent over electoral reform; the Australia Party, which had rebelled against Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, and initial leader Don Chipp, who  the Liberal Party of Australia, dissatisfied with the increasing underrepresentation of small-l liberals. At the state level it is descended from the New Liberal Movement (New LM) of Robin Millhouse, who held the Democrats' only lower house seats, Mitcham and its successor seat Waite.South Australian House of Assembly Election 2006:  Waite, PollBludger.com, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The Democrats have suffered internal problems and leadership scuffles since 1997. The 2007 federal election saw 65.79% of preferences flow to Labor over the Liberal Party in SA. The party's leader is Sandra Kanck.
</section>
</section>
<section id="31597" fatherid="0" title="Electoral system" lv="" priority="3" level="1">
South Australia is governed according to the principles of the Westminster system, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom. Legislative power rests with the Parliament of South Australia, which consists of The Sovereign (represented by the Governor of South Australia), the House of Assembly (lower house) which forms government, and the Legislative Council (upper house)  as a house of review. Forty-seven members of the lower house represent single-member electorates and are elected under the preferential Instant-runoff voting (IRV) system for fixed four-year terms.Timetable for the next Australian elections, Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library, 30 August 2005.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The independent State Electoral Office, which conducts elections, is responsible for a mandatory redistricting of boundaries before each election to ensure one vote one value. At each election, voters choose half of the 22 upper house members, each of whom serve eight-year terms in a single statewide electorate.
The Legislative Council is elected under the preferential Single Transferable Vote (STV) system through a means of Group voting tickets. Voters can choose to vote for a ticket by placing the number '1' in one of the ticket boxes "above the line" or can vote for individual candidates by numbering all the boxes "below the line" (54 in the 2006 election). In above the line voting, ticket votes are distributed according to the party or group voting ticket registered before the election with the election management body. As most ballot papers are above the line, this form of voting often leads to pre-election trading between parties on how each party will allocate later preferences to other parties and candidates.
Voting is compulsory once enrolled in South Australian elections,  which results in turnout rates above 90 percent. Informal voting, which occurs when a voting slip is not valid, is at a rate of under five percent. Voting slips are informal when they are not filled out correctly, such examples are not numbering subsequent numbers, not filling out all the candidate boxes with numbers (except the last candidate), or in some other way that is verified by the State Electoral Office as illegible. South Australian elections have some features that are unique to the rest of Australia.Unique Features of South Australian Elections, ABC News Online, 14 February 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
As elections have fixed four-year terms, the election date of 18 March 2006 was known well ahead of time. The Electoral Act stipulates that the election is to be held on the third Saturday in March every four years. The election campaign must run for a minimum of 25 days or a maximum of 55 days, therefore the Governor would have needed to issue writs for the election by 21 February 2006 at the latest.Election Process: Election Timetable, State Electoral Office, South Australia, 3 July 2003.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. On 20 February, Premier Mike Rann invited Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson to issue writs for the election.Haxton, Nance. PM - SA election campaign begins, ABC PM Transcript 20 February 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. In accordance with electoral regulations, the Electoral Commissioner then advertised key dates for the election of the House of Assembly and half of the Legislative Council - close of rolls on 27 February 2006 at noon, nominations to be received by 2 March 2006 at noon, polling day on 18 March 2006, and the return of writs on or before 28 April 2006.

</section>
<section id="31598" fatherid="0" title="Election background" lv="" priority="4" level="1">
In the 2002 election, Labor won 23 seats, the Liberals 20, Nationals 1, and conservative Independents won three. As 24 seats are required to govern, the Liberal Party was expected to retain government with the support of all four independents. However, in a surprise decision, one of the conservative independents, Peter Lewis, decided to support Labor in exchange for holding a constitutional convention, making him speaker of the House of Assembly,O'Brien, Kerry.  Labor to form govt in South Australia, ABC 7:30 Report, 13 February 2002.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and concessions for his electorate including the phasing out of commercial fishing in the River Murray, prioritising the eradication of the branched broomrape weed, changing water rates for irrigation, fast-tracking a feasibility study for a weir and lock at Wellington, and improving rural roads.Bainger, Fleur. 
"Rural voters say they won't vote for Peter Lewis again", ABC SA Country Hour, 15 February 2002.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Lewis resigned as speaker in April 2005Peter Lewis Parliament Profile, Parliament of South Australia, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. after controversy over allegations of paedophilia he had made about a serving MP."Lewis resigns as SA speaker", ABC News Online, 4 April 2005.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. However, by this time, Labor had already gained the support of independents Bob SuchBob Such Parliament Profile, Parliament of South Australia, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and Rory McEwenRory McEwen Parliament Profile, Parliament of South Australia, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. in 2002, as well as Nationals SA member Karlene MaywaldKarlene Maywald Parliament Profile, Parliament of South Australia, Retrieved on 4 January 2007.  in 2004. Such was given the position of speaker for the remainder of the government's term.

</section>
<section id="31599" fatherid="0" title="Campaign" lv="" priority="5" level="1">
The Labor campaign was heavily based around Premier Mike Rann with Labor's advertising swapping between the mottos "Building South Australia" and, to a greater extent, "RANN Gets Results".Handout for Labor campaigners (PDF), Mumble.com, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Commentators also argued that the "presidential" style of campaign could be seen in Labor's formal campaign launch at the Norwood Town Hall the Sunday before the election, which had some similarities to the nomination conventions that the major parties hold in the United States.Rann stars in Labor launch, ABC News Online, 12 March 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
Another facet of the Labor campaign was extensive negative campaigning against Liberal leader Rob Kerin, including an advertisement featuring an excerpt of an interview that Kerin had with FIVEaa presenter Keith Conlon where Conlon asked Kerin why he wanted to be leader of the Liberal Party. Kerin stammered for a few seconds and gave the impression that he was uncertain. The advertisement concluded with the question, "Does Rob Want The Job?". Conlon complained that the advertisement gave the false impression that he was endorsing Labor, but Labor campaign director David Feeney dismissed his concerns.Fewster, Sean. "Labor ad unfair: Conlon". The Advertiser, 2 March 2006, p.4. Other negative advertisements run by Labor revolved around the actions of the previous Liberal government - one advertisement and leaflet reminded voters that while in power, the previous Liberal government closed 65 schools,Hansard 20/09/2006, Parliament of South Australia, 20 September 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. closed hospital wards,"An example of the "I'm al Jack" attitude", The Advertiser, 1995 and privatised the Electricity Trust of South Australia.Parkin, Andrew. "Political Chronicles – July to December 1998", Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol 45 no 2, 1999, p.284. Available at  questia.com.
Considered "strapped for cash",Experts predict landslide win for SA Labor, ABC News Online, 18 March 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007 the Liberal Party ran a very limited television and radio campaign. Businessman Robert Gerard was forced to resign from his Federal Liberal Party-appointed position on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia due to the party appointing him to the position despite the known fact that he had outstanding tax avoidance issues being dealt with by the Australian Taxation Office, and had thus subsequently pulled out of his traditional role of bankrolling the state division of the party, leaving the party with "only enough funds for the most basic campaign".SA Liberals forced to change TV ad, ABC News Online, 15 March 2006. Retrieved on 15 February 2007 Kerin indicated people would have to "wait and see" if there would be any campaign, even asking trade unions for donations, no matter how small.No matter how small, ABC election pollvault, Retrieved on 11 January 2007. The advertisements that did run argued that Labor was wasting record tax receipts from the GST.Starick, Paul. "Libs send a new message with texts". The Advertiser, 8 February 2006, p. 18. A number of embarrassments for the Liberal Party surrounded their television advertisement - in an early version released to journalists, Labor was spelt "Labour" (Labor cabinet minister King O'Malley dropped the 'u' in 1912 to "modernise" it as per American English)Tonkin, Richard. There's No "I" in "team", and no "You" in Labor, Webdiary.com.au, 17 March 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and the advertisement alleged that South Australia's hospital waiting lists were the worst in the nation, which Labor successfully disputed to the Electoral Commissioner.Anderson, Laura. "Liberals forced to change TV ad after blunder". The Advertiser, 16 March 2006, p. 7. During the election campaign, David Pisoni, the Liberal candidate for Unley, made allegations in his advertising that Labor and the Labor candidate Michael Keenan supported controversial urban infill programmes, which Labor flatly denied. Electoral Commissioner Kay Mousley investigated and ordered that the advertisements be withdrawn and corrections be run at Pisoni's expense.District of Unley, PollBludger.com, Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
The Labor minority government sought to win a majority in the House of Assembly. Opinion polls indicated that this was likely and ABC elections expert Antony Green said that the "Labor government looks set to be returned with an increased majority".Eastley, Tony. SA goes to the polls tomorrow, ABC - AM Transcript, 17 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Centrebet had Labor at $1.01 AUD and the Liberals at $12.00 AUD for a majority government.Odds on favourite, ABC election pollvault, Retrieved on 11 January 2007.
Most commentators agreed that the Liberal Party had little chance of winning government, and that Kerin would step down from the leadership after the election,Kerin to step down if Libs lose election, ABC News Online, 7 June 2005. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. a suspicion confirmed in Kerin's concession speech.Kerin concedes defeat in SA election, ABC News Online, 18 March 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Martin Hamilton-Smith was considering mounting a leadership challenge, however, he withdrew on 14 October 2005 (probably for the sake of the impression of party unity) and subsequently resigned or was pushed from the opposition frontbench.Royal, Simon. Has Rob Kerin saved his leadership but lost the election? Stateline SA, 14 October 2005. Retrieved on 4 January 2007.

</section>
<section id="31600" fatherid="0" title="Issues" lv="" priority="6" level="1">
One of the most publicised issues prior to the election was the tram extension from Victoria Square to the Adelaide Railway StationTramline Extension Project - Victoria Square to City West, Government of South Australia, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. which the Liberals, despite having proposed the idea in their previous transport plan, now opposed."Calls for tram extension to be scrapped", NineMSN, 9 June 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Construction began in April 2007Tramline Extension - Victoria Square to City West, Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.  Retrieved on 7 April 2007. and was operational as of October 2007.Govt approves Adelaide tramline extension project, ABC News Online, 3 February 2007.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007. The Adelaide Airport expansion suffered fuel delivery related delays that Labor was criticised for."Adelaide airport gets all clear", ABC News Online, 11 February 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Continued delays by Labor to improve the safety of the Britannia roundabout were focused on by the Norwood Liberal candidate.Robins, Phil. Rann runs into bumpy patch, Mumble.com, 6 November 2005.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Land and payroll tax cuts worth $1.5 billion were announced by Labor, the largest in the state's history.Henschke, Ian."Parties debate the economy", ABC Stateline SA, 24 February 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The tax cuts coincided with South Australia achieving an economic "Triple A" rating under the current Labor government.Economic climate has Rann in the sun, The Adelaide Review, 23 December 2004.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007. Business SA chief executive Peter Vaughan "praised" Labor's economic management.RANN SLAM: The Advertiser 18/3/2006
The construction of two bridges over Port River as part of the Port Expressway project had come under criticism, which the Government promised would be open-span to allow passage of tugboats and tall ships, thereby preserving the inner harbour's dwindling port functions. Despite criticism coming from the electorate, the media, federal Labor, and road organisations including the RAA, The Advertiser revealed details of "the biggest project of its kind in South Australia's history", a $1.5 billion redevelopment on the western bank of the inner harbour. The development will include 2000 new homes on government-owned land and new buildings as high as 12 storeys. This followed the awarding of a $6 billion air warfare destroyer contract to the Australian Submarine Corporation, based in the electorate at Osborne.District of Port Adelaide, PollBludger.com.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007.
The future of the River Murray has come under threat due to falling water levels, and in an unprecedented move, Nationals MP Karlene Maywald was given a cabinet position as Minister for the River Murray in 2004.Maywald Minister For The River Murray (Rann press release), SaveTheMurray.com, 22 July 2004.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Possible nuclear waste dumps were of concern to many Adelaide residents; Premier Rann successfully lobbied against any federal government proposals."Govt ditches nuclear dump plan", ABC News Online, 14 July 2004.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
Law and order was another key issue, with Labor promising extra police.4,000th officer - SA Police Force, Government of South Australia, 28 June 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Tough drink and drug driving laws had also been introducedSouth Australia Announces Tough New Drug Laws, StoptheDrugWar.org, 20 May 2005.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. which included zero tolerance roadside testing for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Methamphetamine, and later Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)."Opposition says Govt doing backflip on ecstasy testing", ABC News Online, 31 August 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Labor introduced speed limit reduction legislation which took effect in March 2003 which saw non-arterial non-main roads and most Adelaide CBD roads reduce from 60km/h to 50km/h.SA speed amnesty ends tonight, ABC News Online, 31 May 2003.  Retrieved on 8 March 2007. The Liberals proposed to increase the speed limit back to 60km/h for several roads, concentrated mainly around the Adelaide Park Lands.
Allegations were made over the condition of the state's health system and the capacity to deal with mental health issues."Is the health system unhealthy?", ABC Stateline SA, 15 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Labor pledged to buy back Modbury Hospital located in the district of Florey, privatised under the Liberal government to alleviate the effect of the State Bank collapse."Rann promises hospital buy back", ABC News Online, 12 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
The need for homosexual law reform was acknowledged by both major parties; however, there was disquiet within the Labor Party over delays.State election manifesto (PDF), Letsgetequal.org, February, 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.Bockman, Michelle Wiese. "Libs, Dems unite on gay unions". The Australian, 24 August 2006, p.3. December 2006 saw the Domestic Partners bill pass which provides greater recognition to same sex relationships on a range of issues such as superannuation. The bill was supported by all parties after much negotiation, but in the end was voted against by both members of Family First, as well as Liberal Terry Stephens."Statutes Amendment Domestic Partners bill", Parliament of SA Hansard, 7 December 2006.  Retrieved on 7 February 2007.
Electoral reform policies received little attention,South Australian State Election 2006, EffectiveVoting.org.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. as has the 2010 referendum proposed by the Rann Government to abolish or reform the Legislative Council.Rann, Mike. Will the Legislative Council work with us?, Government of South Australia, 27 April 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. WorkCover underfunded liability increases have also received little attention, despite the fact that the liability has climbed from a disputed $67 to $85 million to $700 million since Labor came in to government in 2002 due to a more generous compensation scheme. Labor have since looked in to reform for the scheme including cutting payments to injured workers.Claim SA WorkCover unfunded liabilities blow out to $400 million, ABC News Online, 3 August 2003.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007.Rann must act over $1b WorkCover liability, Liberals SA, 20 November 2006.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007.WorkCover plan to axe payouts, The Advertiser, 30 January 2007.  Retrieved on 3 February 2007.
There were claims that federal industrial relations reform, WorkChoices, was an influential issue in the election."Beazley says IR reform influenced state elections wins", ABC News Online, 19 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The Liberals announced 4,000 public service job cuts to pay for election promises.Libs announce 4,000 job cuts, Community and Public Sector Union, 2 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.

</section>
<section id="31601" fatherid="0" title="Polling" lv="" priority="7" level="1">
Newspoll polling is conducted via random telephone number selection in city and country areas. Roy Morgan polling is conducted face-to-face Australia-wide. Sampling sizes consist of 500–1000 electors, Roy Morgan has a sampling tolerance (the Margin of error) of ±3.2 percent for a 40 to 60 percent rating in a sample size of 1000 electors, and ±4.5 for 500 electors. The sampling tolerance rate is lower for high and low percentages.
</section>
<section id="31602" fatherid="0" title="Results" lv="" priority="8" level="1">
<section id="31603" fatherid="31602" title="House of Assembly" lv="" priority="1" level="2">
<section id="31604" fatherid="31603" title="" lv="" priority="-1" level="3">
The final results for the House of Assembly seats were 28 Labor, 15 Liberal, three independents and one National. First preference and two party preferred statistics for each district are available through the South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts article.
Labor won six of eight key seats, the Liberals one of three key seats.Green, Antony. "Key Seats by Party and Margin", ABC elections SA.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Labor's wins included the previously marginal Liberal seats of Hartley, Light, Morialta, Mawson, B and Newland. The Liberals regained Peter Lewis' seat of Hammond.
National Karlene Maywald and Independents Bob Such, Rory McEwen and Kris Hanna were all re-elected. Hanna was elected at the 2002 election as a Labor candidate; this counted as a loss for Labor, giving Labor a net gain of five seats.
Labor, the Liberals and the Greens ran in all 47 seats, the Democrats ran in all but Giles which resulted in a contested seat vote of three percent, Family First ran in all but Ramsay and Croydon with a contested seat vote of 6.1 percent, with the Nationals running in Chaffey, Flinders, Finniss, and MacKillop, with a subsequent contested seat vote of 24.8 percent. Dignity for Disabled ran in ten seats, No Rodeo in seven seats, and One Nation in six seats.South Australia 2006 Election Results, Upperhouse.info, Retrieved on 14 January 2007.
Jack Snelling became speaker of the House of Assembly.

</section>
<section id="31605" fatherid="31603" title="Key Liberal seats" lv="" priority="2" level="3">
The outer southern suburbs district of Mawson was first won by former Liberal Police Minister Robert Brokenshire in the 1993 state election. He was defeated by Labor candidate and former radio presenter Leon Bignell who received a 5.7 percent two party preferred swing. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Mawson Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The other outer suburbs district that fell to Labor was B, which was held since 1989 by former Liberal energy minister Wayne Matthew. Matthew decided to retire at this election; subsequently the seat was contested for the Liberals by Legislative Council member Angus Redford. Redford faced a tougher fight than expectedSouth Australian House of Assembly Election 2006:  B, PollBludger.com.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and was defeated by Labor candidate Chloe Fox who received a huge 14.4 percent swing on a two party preferred basis, the largest in the state.
The inner southern suburbs district of Unley was won in 2002 by outspoken Liberal Mark Brindal who failed to win Liberal preselection for the seat in the lead up to the 2006 election and attempted to gain backing to contest the marginal Labor seat of Adelaide, but was shrouded in a controversy concerning a sexual relationship that Brindal had with a mentally ill man.Curtis, Christopher. "Australian lawmaker quits over gay affair", Gay.com Australia, 11 August 2005.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The Liberal candidate was businessman David Pisoni, while the Labor candidate was Unley Mayor Michael Keenan, who received a 7.9 percent two party preferred swing, narrowly missing out on picking up the seat by 1.1 percent. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Unley Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The inner north eastern suburbs district of Hartley had been won by Joe Scalzi in 1993 and held by a very narrow margin in each election since. The district has a very high proportion of Italian migrants and the ability to speak Italian is considered by many commentators as vital to win the seatGreen, Antony.South Australian Election 2006: District of Hartley, ABC News online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and was a factor in Labor's preselection of political staffer Grace Portolesi. Portolesi defeated Scalzi with a 5.9 percent two party preferred swing. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Hartley Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The neighbouring district of Morialta was held before this election by former Liberal Tourism Minister Joan Hall since 1993. She was defeated by Labor candidate Lindsay Simmons. Simmons received a 12 percent two party preferred swing, with Labor winning the seat for the first time since 1975. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Morialta Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
In the outer north-east, the district of Newland had been won by Liberal Dorothy Kotz since 1989, but after her decision to retire, the Liberal Party preselected police officer and local councillor Mark Osterstock. He was defeated by Labor candidate Tom Kenyon, who won the seat with a 12.5 percent two party preferred swing. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Newland Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
In Light, which contains Gawler and the outer northern suburbs, was recontested by sitting Liberal member and former Education Minister Malcolm Buckby. He was defeated by Labor candidate and Gawler Mayor Tony Piccolo, who received a 4.9 percent two party preferred swing. This seat fell to Labor for the first time since 1944. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Light Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The rural and outback district of Stuart was first won in 1997 by Liberal Graham Gunn, a former Speaker and Australia's longest currently serving parliamentarian"Stuart count goes down to the wire", ABC elections SA, 22 March 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. (the longest being Billy Hughes at 51 years). As in 2002, he was challenged by Labor ministerial adviser Justin Jarvis. Unlike the Adelaide metropolitan area and the neighbouring seat of Giles, there was only a small swing of 0.7 percent to Labor, subsequently Gunn managed to hang on with a margin of 0.6 percent. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Stuart Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.

</section>
<section id="31606" fatherid="31603" title="Key Labor seats" lv="" priority="3" level="3">
The inner eastern suburbs district of Norwood, held for Labor by former Norwood mayor Vini Ciccarello, was expected to be a tough contest, particularly after the Liberal preselection of former Adelaide Crows footballer Nigel Smart. Ciccarello retained the seat picking up a 3.7 percent swing on the two party preferred vote. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Norwood Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The other Labor seat considered under possible threat was the neighbouring inner city district of Adelaide where high profile Education Minister and former Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith was challenged by Liberal Diana Carroll. Lomax-Smith comprehensively defeated Carroll with a 9.2 percent swing to Labor on the two-party preferred vote. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Adelaide Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.

</section>
<section id="31607" fatherid="31603" title="Key Independent seats" lv="" priority="4" level="3">
The southern suburbs district of Mitchell was won at the 2002 election by Kris Hanna, who was a Labor member. After the election, Hanna  Labor to join the Greens and subsequently  the Greens to become an independent on 8 February 2006. Hanna faced a tough contest to hold his seat against a challenge by Labor's Rosemary Clancy. Despite expectations before the election of a safe Labor win, Hanna defeated the Labor candidate by 0.6 percent of the vote with the aid of Liberal preferences.South Australian House of Assembly Election 2006:  Mitchell, PollBludger.com.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
The district of Fisher, located in Adelaide's south, was held by independent MP Dr Bob Such. Late in the campaign, there was some speculation that Fisher may have been a closer contest than commentators initially expected,Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006:  Fisher Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. but Such comfortably defeated both Labor candidate Amanda Rishworth and Liberal candidate Andy Minnis with an independent candidate election best 45.2 percent of the primary vote, picking up a 4.6 percent two party preferred swing. The election outcome saw Such facing the Labor candidate on the two party preferred vote as opposed to the Liberal candidate in 2002.
The Riverland based district of Chaffey is the only seat in South Australia held by a Nationals SA member. River Murray Minister Karlene Maywald won comfortably against a challenge by Liberal Anna Baric. Maywald received a 3.2 percent swing on the two party preferred vote.Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Chaffey Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The Murray Bridge based district of Hammond was won in 2002 by independent MP Peter Lewis who cut a deal after the 2002 election which delivered government to Labor. Facing almost certain defeat in Hammond, he declined to recontest the district and failed in his attempt to win a seat in the Legislative Council.South Australia House of Assembly Election 2006:  Hammond, PollBludger.com.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
Hammond was won comfortably by Liberal Adrian Pederick.Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Hammond Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
The district of Mount Gambier (which also includes much of South Australia's south east) was a close contest between independent and Agriculture Minister Rory McEwen and Liberal Peter Gandolfi. McEwen prevailed despite a 20.4 percent swing against him on the two party preferred vote.Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Mount Gambier Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.

</section>
<section id="31608" fatherid="31603" title="Post-election pendulum" lv="" priority="5" level="3">
The following pendulumGreen, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Post-Election Pendulum, ABC News online.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. is known as the Mackerras Pendulum, invented by psephologist Malcolm Mackerras. The pendulum works by lining up all of the seats held in the House of Assembly according to the percentage point margin they are held by on a two party preferred basis. This is also known as the swing required for the seat to change hands. Given a uniform swing to the opposition or government parties, the number of seats that change hands can be predicted. Marginal 0–5.99 percent, Fairly Safe 6–10 percent, Safe -gtdocsymbol-10 percent.
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</section>
<section id="31609" fatherid="31602" title="Legislative Council" lv="" priority="2" level="2">
In the South Australian Legislative Council, Labor won 4 seats, the Liberals won 3 seats, both No Pokies member Nick Xenophon and his running mate Ann Bressington were elected and Family First and the Greens won a seat each. Almost 40 percent of voters deserted the major parties for Nick Xenophon and the minor parties; this percentage had been steadily increasing over time.Democratic Audit of Australia:  Implications for democracy in the Festival State (PDF), Australian National University, April, 2006, page 3 graph.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Legislative Council: 2006, ABC News Online, Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
Labor received a 3.7 percent swing, electing four councillors as in the previous election. Carmel Zollo, Bob Sneath, Russell Wortley and Ian Hunter were all elected, with 4.39 quotas Bob Sneath was elected president of the Legislative Council.
On the other hand, the Liberal vote collapsed with a 14.1 percent swing against the Liberal Party. Having received five councillors in 2002, at this election the Liberal Party had just three councillors elected. Rob Lucas, John Dawkins and Michelle Lensink were elected on 3.12 quotas.
Before the election, No Pokies member Nick Xenophon was popular with the media and in opinion polls,Political Picture Gallery, Upperhouse.info, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. but he faced a tough campaign as a result of both major parties preferencing in favour of other independents and the minor parties.2006 Legislative Council Candidates — Voting Tickets, State Electoral Office, South Australia, Retrieved on 4 January 2007. No Pokies received 20.5 percent of the vote, yielding 2.46 quotas, which translated into seats for both Xenophon and his running mate Ann Bressington. Having been elected at the 1997 election with 2.9 percent of the vote and other independent candidates at the 2002 election on 1.3 percent of the vote (Xenophon being a sitting member at that election), Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Detailed Legislative Council Result 2002, ABC News Online, Retrieved on 15 April 2008. the No Pokies ticket received a swing of 19.2 percent.
The Family First Party's first member, Andrew Evans MLC, was elected in 2002. Family First won 5 percent of the upper house vote with only a small swing of 0.98 percent, with candidate Dennis Hood being elected on preferences.
The SA Greens won 4.3 percent of the upper house vote meaning a swing of 1.5 percent, narrowly securing Mark Parnell for the last upper house seat on preferences. This is the first time The Greens have won a seat in South Australia. Having secured second spot on the ticket at this election, Sarah Hanson-Young was successful in gaining the first spot on the ticket at the 2007 federal election, which saw the Greens secure their first federal upper house seat in South Australia.
The Australian Democrats fell to just one seat in the Legislative Council held by Sandra Kanck, after Kate Reynolds was defeated in her bid for re-election after being appointed in 2003. The Democrats gained only 1.8 percent of the upper house vote after a 5.5 percent swing against them. Kanck has since announced that she will not recontest her seat at the next election, placing serious clouds over the future of the party in the state."Last sitting SA Democrat to quit", ABC News Online, 11 May 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party gained 0.8 percent of the upper house vote and won none of the six lower house seats they contested. Their highest vote was 4.1 percent in the district of Hammond, followed by 2.7 percent in Goyder,Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: Goyder Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008. and the other four hovering around 1 percent.
Dignity for Disabled ran for the first time and won 0.6 percent of the upper house vote; they won none of the 10 lower house seats they contested. Their best results were W as well as B, with 2.4 percent in each (506 and 492 votes respectively).Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: W Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.Green, Antony. South Australian Election 2006: B Electorate Profile, ABC News Online, 20 April 2006.  Retrieved on 15 April 2008.
Labor-turned-independent Terry Cameron and Liberal-turned-independent Peter Lewis both failed in their bids for re-election.

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</section>
<section id="31610" fatherid="0" title="Legacy" lv="" priority="-9" level="1">
After the election, Rob Kerin vacated the position of opposition leader. The party selected conservative Iain Evans (son of former politician Stan Evans) for the role, with moderate Vickie Chapman (daughter of former politician Ted Chapman) as deputy leader. The only other contestant had been Isobel Redmond, who ran because she was concerned by some speculation that the Evans deal may have been stitched up by federal Liberal counterparts Christopher Pyne and Nick Minchin.  Preferred premier ratings in July 2006 showed Rann on 71 percent with Evans on 15 percent. Only 27 percent of Liberal Party supporters saw Evans as the preferred premier.In South Australia: 71% Say Rann Better Premier, Roy Morgan Research, 8 July 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. Continuing low support for the new Liberal leadership saw Martin Hamilton-Smith replace Evans in April 2007, however this move saw Liberal support decline further to a three-year low according to an Advertiser poll conducted a month after the leadership change. Over half of polling respondents were unable to name the leader of the Liberal Party.Libs' worst poll in three years AdelaideNow News.com.au 2 May 2007.  Retrieved on 19 May 2007. This contradicted Newspolls quarterly pollingSupport for Labor, Rann slips The Australian 10 July 2007.  Retrieved on 10 July 2007. indicating the Rann Labor government slipping to a two-party preferred figure of 57 percent down four percent, with a preferred premier rating of 52 percent down 14 percent for Rann and a first-time rating of 21 percent for Martin Hamilton-Smith. Poll results also show Rann's satisfaction rating was below 60 percent for the first time since coming to office at 58 percent, with Hamilton-Smith receiving a 33 percent satisfaction rate.
Previously unknown quantity Ann Bressington, elected on the back of Nick Xenophon's No Pokies popularity, has proposed mainly conservative policies such as raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21,Allison, Lisa. "Raise drink age to 21", The Advertiser, 31 August 2006, p.24. zero tolerance of illicit drugs, mandatory twice-annual drug tests of every South Australian school student over the age of 14 regardless of whether parents give their consent,Klening, Xanthe. "MP's move to drug test all teens", The Advertiser, 17 August 2006, p.5. "Should all school students be drug tested?" ABC Stateline, 18 August 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. and making the sale of "drug-taking equipment" illegal."Ban the bong, say MP's", The Advertiser, 6 June 2006.Allison, Lisa. "Cocaine kits on sale in city shop window", The Advertiser, 11 August 2006, p.7. However, she remains undecided on voluntary euthanasia, calling it "a personal struggle".Hansard 31/08/2006, Parliament of South Australia, 31 August 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
Setting a precedent, Sandra Kanck's pro-euthanasia speech which contained suicide methods was censored from the internet version of Hansard in August 2006 as a result of an upper house motion, with Labor, Family First, Nick Xenophon and Ann Bressington voting for, and the Liberals and SA Greens member Mark Parnell voting against.Owen, Michael. "MPs turn up heat on Kanck 'damage'", The Advertiser, 2 September 2006, p.10. Despite this, the speech was published on a non-Australian website.Speech to SA Legislative Council by Sandra Kanck MLC. 30th Aug 2006-08-31 (PDF), Exit International US, Retrieved on 4 January 2007.
The state's budget was released on 21 September 2006.State Budget 2006–2007, Government of South Australia, Department of Treasury and Finance, Media Releases 10 November 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. It included 1,600 public service job axings despite an election pledge of only 400, however none of the redundancies will be forced. It also included increases in some fees and charges such as victims of crime levies and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) charges. There were increases in funding for health, schools, police and prisons, and the Department of Public Prosecutions."Public service jobs axed in SA budget", Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007. "SA to announce Budget funding boost for DPP", ABC News Online, 20 September 2006.  Retrieved on 4 January 2007.Foley, Kevin. BUDGET: $411m new prisons – safer communities, Government of South Australia, 21 September 2006. Retrieved on 4 January 2007. The 2007–2008 budget released on 13 June 2007 saw additional spending on Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, Health, Families and Communities, and Justice portfolios such as  transport initiatives including revitalisation of the rail network, commencement of the $1.7 billion Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital to replace the Royal Adelaide Hospital, funding for mental health reform including the delivery of health services, and funding for new commitments to law and order policies.State Budget 2007–2008, Government of South Australia, Department of Treasury and Finance.  Retrieved on 2 July 2007.
No Pokies MP Nick Xenophon resigned from parliament in early October 2007 in a successful attempt to win a seat in the Australian Senate at the 2007 federal election, which according to the South Australian result, he retained 72 percent of his 2006 vote, on 14.78 percent. His replacement is his third candidate on the 2006 ticket, former Valuer-General John Darley, and was appointed by a joint sitting on 21 November 2007, where second candidate and upper house MP Ann Bressington also took the opportunity to slam Nick Xenophon, accusing him of lacking integrity and suitability for federal parliament.Henderson, Nick. Nick Xenophon's running mate unleashes extraordinary attack. The Advertiser. 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 13 December 2007.MPs stunned by Xenophon blast. ABC News 21 November 2007.  Retrieved on 13 December 2007. Xenophon was successful in being elected.
A record-breaking 13-hour Parnell-Bressington filibuster occurred in May 2008 in crossbench opposition to WorkCover cuts being passed by the major parties due to the increasing underfunded liability in the workers' compensation scheme.

</section>
<section id="31611" fatherid="0" title="References" lv="" priority="-10" level="1">
</section>
<section id="31612" fatherid="0" title="See also" lv="" priority="-11" level="1">
</section>
<section id="31613" fatherid="0" title="External links" lv="" priority="-12" level="1">
Category:2006 elections in Australia
Category:Elections in South Australia

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