South Australia

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Abstract

South Australia (SA) is one of the country’s oldest states, having been proclaimed as a freely settled colony in 1836 and assuming self-governing status in 1856. Much of its area remains sparsely inhabited, with Adelaide as the dominant population centre on the south coast. With 1.8 million people the state ranks fifth in size. Until the mid-1970s elections in the state were shaped by a significant malapportionment of its electoral boundaries, which over-allocated seats to rural and regional areas, with voters in Adelaide and its surrounds badly under-represented – a gerrymander nicknamed the ‘Playmander’ (after former Premier Playford). However, following electoral reforms in 1974 the state has been a more even battleground, although the Australian Labor Party (ALP) has tended to dominate the winning of elections.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAustralia's Evolving Democracy
Subtitle of host publicationA New Democratic Audit
EditorsMark Evans, Patrick Dunleavy, John Phillimore
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherLSE Press
Chapter20
Pages432-452
Number of pages21
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-911712-32-9, 978-1-911712-33-6
ISBN (Print)978-1-911712-30-5, 978-1-911712-31-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Keywords

  • South Australia
  • Australian politics
  • Democracy

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