Division of Sturt

The Division of Sturt is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.

First proclaimed for the 1949 election, Sturt was named for Captain Charles Sturt, nineteenth century explorer and the first European to discover the Murray River. Currently stretching from Adelaide's mortgage belt suburbs in the centre-east to the wealthy south-eastern suburbs, boundaries at the seat's creation saw it take in suburbs as far west as Port Adelaide, and as far north as Virginia. Sturt has traditionally been a Liberal Party constituency and has been home to the Wilson political dynasty of father Keith and son Ian. Five MPs have held the seat since creation.

The 1954 election saw the Labor candidate Norman Makin capture the marginal seat, but before the 1955 election shifted to the new, safe neighbouring seat of Bonython. The 1969 election saw a 16 percent swing against Ian Wilson temporarily unseating him, but he was returned at the 1972 election against the flow of Gough Whitlam's federal victory. Wilson was a key early member of the progressive Liberal Movement faction within the Liberal Party but refused to leave the Liberals when the Liberal Movement became a separate party. The Liberal Movement ran a candidate in Sturt in the 1974 election, polling 7.2 percent, much of which derived from Wilson’s vote.

The Liberal Movement's successor party, the Australian Democrats, have traditionally polled well in Sturt, highlighted by 13.5 percent at their first showing in the 1977 election and 15 percent in the 1990 election, the best result by a minor party in Sturt. The Democrats vote has dropped sharply in recent years, they gained only 2.26 percent in the 2004 election. Additionally, an independent Liberal contested Sturt at the 1993 election, polling a respectable 14.6 percent.

At the 2007 federal election, sitting member Christopher Pyne suffered a two party preferred swing of 5.86 percent but retained the seat on 50.94 percent, against Labor candidate Mia Handshin, making Sturt the most marginal seat in South Australia. Prior to the pre-selection of Handshin, No Pokies MP Nick Xenophon had been considering running in the seat as an independent, before deciding to run for the Senate instead.

Members

Election results

Historical Boundaries

Sturt in 1951

Sturt in 1967

External links

• 2004 election results
• Map of division
• Old division boundaries