List of South Australian House of Assembly by-elections explained

This is a list of by-elections and scheduled by-elections for the South Australian House of Assembly.

A by-election may be held when a member's seat becomes vacant through resignation, death or some other reasons. These vacancies are called casual vacancies.

Gains for Labor are highlighted in red; for Liberal and its predecessors in blue; and others in grey.

2020–2029

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
55th	Dunstan	23 March 2024	Steven Marshall			Liberal	Cressida O'Hanlon			Labor	Resignation	No
55th	Bragg	2 July 2022	Vickie Chapman			Liberal	Jack Batty			Liberal	Resignation	Yes

2010–2019

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
54th	Cheltenham	9 February 2019	Jay Weatherill			Labor	Joe Szakacs			Labor	Resignation	Yes
54th	Enfield	9 February 2019	John Rau			Labor	Andrea Michaels			Labor	Resignation	Yes
53rd	Davenport	31 January 2015	Iain Evans			Liberal	Sam Duluk			Liberal	Resignation	Yes
53rd	Fisher	6 December 2014	Bob Such			Independent	Nat Cook			Labor	Death	No
52nd	Ramsay	11 February 2012	Mike Rann			Labor	Zoe Bettison			Labor	Resignation	Yes
52nd	Port Adelaide	11 February 2012	Kevin Foley			Labor	Susan Close			Labor	Resignation	Yes

1990–1999

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
48th	Taylor	5 November 1994	Lynn Arnold			Labor	Trish White			Labor	Resignation	Yes
48th	Torrens	7 May 1994	Joe Tiernan			Liberal	Robyn Geraghty			Labor	Death	No
48th	Elizabeth	9 April 1994	Martyn Evans			Labor	Lea Stevens			Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	Yes
47th	Kavel	9 May 1992	Roger Goldsworthy			Liberal	John Olsen			Liberal	Resignation to provide Olsen a seat.	Yes
47th	Alexandra	9 May 1992	Ted Chapman			Liberal	Dean Brown			Liberal	Resignation to provide Brown a seat.	Yes
47th	Custance	23 June 1990	John Olsen			Liberal	Ivan Venning			Liberal	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes

1980–1989

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
45th	Elizabeth	1 December 1984	Peter Duncan			Labor	Martyn Evans			Independent Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	No
45th	Bragg	14 May 1983	David Tonkin			Liberal	Graham Ingerson			Liberal	Resignation	Yes
44th	Florey	4 September 1982	Harold O'Neill			Labor	Bob Gregory			Labor	Resignation (ill health)	Yes
44th	Mitcham	8 May 1982	Robin Millhouse			Democrats	Heather Southcott			Democrats	Resignation (Appointed to SA Supreme Court)	Yes
44th	Norwood	16 February 1980	Frank Webster			Liberal	Greg Crafter			Labor	Unseated	No

1970–1979

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
43rd	Norwood	10 March 1979	Don Dunstan			Labor	Greg Crafter			Labor	Resignation (ill health)	Yes
41st	Goyder	8 June 1974	Steele Hall			Liberal Movement	David Boundy			Liberal Movement	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes
41st	Semaphore	2 June 1973	Reg Hurst			Labor	Jack Olson			Labor	Death	Yes
40th	Adelaide	3 July 1971	Sam Lawn			Labor	Jack Wright			Labor	Death	Yes

1960–1969

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
39th	Millicent	22 June 1968	Des Corcoran			Labor	Des Corcoran			Labor	Unseated	Yes
37th	Semaphore	3 October 1964	Harold Tapping			Labor	Reg Hurst			Labor	Death	Yes
37th	Stirling	28 September 1963	William Jenkins			LCL	William McAnaney			LCL	Death	Yes
37th	Yorke Peninsula	9 February 1963	Cecil Hincks			LCL	James Ferguson			LCL	Death	Yes
37th	Mount Gambier	15 December 1962	Ron Ralston			Labor	Allan Burdon			Labor	Death	Yes
36th	Frome	5 November 1960	Mick O'Halloran			Labor	Tom Casey			Labor	Death	Yes
36th	Light	23 April 1960	George Hambour			LCL	Leslie Nicholson			LCL	Death	Yes

1950–1959

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
35th	Mount Gambier	12 July 1958	John Fletcher			Independent	Ron Ralston			Labor	Death	No
35th	Wallaroo	3 August 1957	Leslie Heath			LCL	Lloyd Hughes			Labor	Death	No
34th	Mitcham	7 May 1955	Henry Dunks			LCL	Robin Millhouse			LCL	Death	Yes
33rd	Stirling	18 October 1952	Herbert Dunn			LCL	William Jenkins			LCL	Death	Yes
33rd	Gawler	19 April 1952	Leslie Duncan			Labor	John Clark			Labor	Death	Yes
33rd	Flinders	2 June 1951	Rex Pearson			LCL	Glen Pearson			LCL	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes

1940–1949

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
32nd	Rocky River	26 February 1949	John Lyons			LCL	James Heaslip			LCL	Death	Yes
32nd	Alexandra	19 June 1948	Herbert Hudd			LCL	David Brookman			LCL	Death	Yes
31st	Port Pirie	19 October 1946	Andrew Lacey			Labor	Charles Davis			Labor	Death	Yes
31st	Semaphore	5 October 1946	Albert Thompson			Labor	Harold Tapping			Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	Yes
31st	Burnside	22 June 1946	Charles Abbott			LCL	Geoffrey Clarke			LCL	Resignation	Yes
31st	Victoria	29 September 1945	Vernon Petherick			LCL	Jim Corcoran			Labor	Death	No
30th	Gouger	10 July 1943	Albert Robinson			Independent	Horace Bowden			Labor	Death	No
30th	Thebarton	12 December 1942	Jules Langdon			Independent	Fred Walsh			Labor	Death	No

1930–1939

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
29th	Light	21 January 1939	Richard Layton Butler			LCL	Herbert Michael			LCL	Resignation (contested HoR)	Yes
28th	Port Pirie	3 March 1937	John Fitzgerald			Labor	William Threadgold			Labor	Death	Yes
28th	Wooroora	29 September 1934	Archie Cameron			LCL	Albert Robinson			Independent	Resignation (entered HoR)	No
28th	Alexandra	10 February 1934	George Laffer			LCL	George Connor			Independent	Death	No
28th	Barossa	8 July 1933	Herbert Basedow			Independent	Reginald Rudall			LCL	Death	No
27th	Victoria	5 March 1932	Peter Reidy			Liberal	Vernon Petherick			Liberal	Death	Yes
27th	Adelaide	25 July 1931	Bert Edwards			Labor	Martin Collaton			Lang Labor	Absent without leave	No

1920–1929

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
26th	Port Adelaide	2 July 1927	Thomas Thompson			Protestant Labor	Thomas Thompson			Protestant Labor	Unseated	Yes
25th	Adelaide	21 September 1926	John Gunn			Labor	Herbert George			Labor	Resignation	Yes
25th	Stanley	16 March 1926	Henry Barwell			Liberal	John Lyons			Liberal	Resignation	Yes
25th	Yorke Peninsula	20 January 1926	Peter Allen			Liberal	Edward Giles			Liberal	Death	Yes
25th	East Torrens	28 November 1925	Harry Kneebone			Labor	Walter Hamilton			Liberal	Resignation (contested HoR)	No
25th	Port Adelaide	20 June 1925	John Price			Labor	John Stanley Verran			Labor	Resignation	Yes
25th	Barossa	22 November 1924	William Hague			Liberal	Henry Crosby			Liberal	Death	Yes
24th	Alexandra	20 January 1923	George Ritchie			Liberal	Percy Heggaton			Liberal	Resignation	Yes
23rd	Alexandra	12 June 1920	Archibald Peake			Liberal	Herbert Hudd			Liberal	Death	Yes

1910–1919

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
22nd	Barossa	2 June 1917	Ephraim Coombe			Labor	Henry Crosby			Liberal	Death	No
22nd	East Torrens	12 May 1917	Lionel Hill			Labor	William Hamilton			Liberal	Resignation (contested Senate)	No
22nd	Adelaide	12 May 1917	John Gunn			Labor	Bert Edwards			Labor	Resignation (contested HoR)	Yes
22nd	Newcastle	12 May 1917	Thomas Butterfield			Labor	Edward Twopeny			Liberal	Resignation (contested Senate)	No
22nd	Alexandra	19 June 1915	Alexander McDonald			Liberal	Archibald Peake			Liberal	Resignation	Yes
21st	Alexandra	20 December 1913	William Blacker			Liberal	George Laffer			Liberal	Death	Yes
21st	Murray	23 November 1912	William Jamieson			Liberal	Harry Dove Young			Liberal	Death	Yes

1900–1909

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
19th	Torrens	3 July 1909	Thomas Price			Labor	Thomas Ryan			Labor	Death	Yes
19th	Wooroora	13 February 1909	Friedrich Wilhelm Paech			ANL	Frederick William Young			FPPU	Death	No
19th	Northern Territory	5 December 1908	Vaiben Louis Solomon			ANL	Thomas Crush			Labor	Death	No
19th	Adelaide	20 June 1908	Ernest Roberts			Labor	Edward Alfred Anstey			Labor	Resignation	Yes
19th	Flinders	18 May 1907	Arthur Hugh Inkster			LDU	Edgar Hampton Warren			FPPU	Death	No
19th	Stanley	13 April 1907	William Patrick Cummins			LDU	Kossuth William Duncan			FPPU	Death	No
19th	Adelaide	26 January 1907	James Zimri Sellar			Labor	Reginald Blundell			Labor	Death	Yes
18th	Murray	23 June 1906	Walter Hughes Duncan			ANL	Hermann Homburg			ANL	Death	Yes
17th	Victoria and Albert	25 June 1904	Andrew Dods Handyside			ANL	William Senior			Labor	Death	No
16th	Wallaroo	22 June 1901	Henry Allerdale Grainger				John Verran			Labor	Resignation
16th	Northern Territory	15 June 1901	Vaiben Louis Solomon				Samuel James Mitchell				Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Gumeracha	8 June 1901	Thomas Playford II				William Jamieson			ANL	Resignation (entered Senate)
16th	Flinders	8 June 1901	Alexander Poynton				William Tennant Mortlock				Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Burra	8 June 1901	Frederick Holder				William Russell				Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Barossa	8 June 1901	John Downer			ANL	E. H. Coombe				Resignation (entered Senate)
16th	North Adelaide	1 June 1901	Paddy Glynn				Hugh Robert Dixson				Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	West Adelaide	1 June 1901	Lee Batchelor			Labor	Francis Bernard Keogh				Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Northern Territory	20 October 1900	Walter Griffiths				Charles Edward Herbert			ANL	Death
16th	West Adelaide	17 March 1900	Charles Kingston				Bill Denny				Resignation

1890–1899

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
16th	Encounter Bay	29 July 1899	Charles Tucker				Charles Tucker				Unseated
15th	Mount Barker	14 May 1898	John Cockburn				Charles Dumas			ANL	Resignation
15th	East Adelaide	22 January 1898	John McPherson			Labor	James Hutchison			Labor	Death
15th	Albert	31 July 1897	Archibald Peake				Archibald Peake				Unseated
15th	Albert	22 May 1897	George Ash			ANL	Archibald Peake				Death
15th	North Adelaide	22 May 1897	Arthur Harrold			ANL	Paddy Glynn			ANL	Resignation
15th	Stanley	17 October 1896	Peter Paul Gillen				William Patrick Cummins				Death
15th	Gumeracha	10 July 1896	Charles Willcox			ANL	William Richard Randell				Resignation
14th	North Adelaide	8 June 1895	George Charles Hawker				Paddy Glynn			NDL	Death
14th	East Torrens	19 May 1894	Thomas Playford II				David Packham			NDL	Appointment as Agent General
13th	Noarlunga	26 March 1892	Charles Dashwood				William Blacker				Death
13th	East Adelaide	23 January 1892	John Cox Bray				John McPherson			Labor	Resignation
13th	Northern Territory	23 May 1891	Vaiben Louis Solomon				Vaiben Louis Solomon				Resignation
13th	Wallaroo	23 May 1891	David Bews				Richard Hooper			Independent Labor	Death
13th	Wooroora	25 February 1891	Hugh Craine Kelly				Robert Kelly				Death
13th	Yatala	13 August 1890	James Cowan				Richard Butler				Death

1880–1889

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
12th	Stanley	25 June 1889	Edward William Hawker				Peter Paul Gillen				Resignation
12th	Victoria	1 November 1888	Daniel Livingston				John James Osman				Death
12th	Gumeracha	12 May 1888	Robert Dalrymple Ross				Lancelot Stirling				Death
11th	East Adelaide	31 May 1886	George Dutton Green				Theodor Scherk				Resignation
11th	Albert	8 February 1886	Arthur Hardy				Arthur Hardy				Resignation
11th	Sturt	17 July 1885	Thomas King				Samuel Dening Glyde				Resignation
11th	Stanley	15 May 1885	John Miller				John Darling, senior				Resignation
11th	Wallaroo	16 February 1885	Henry Allerdale Grainger				David Bews				Resignation
11th	Albert	5 January 1885	Rudolph Henning				Andrew Dods Handyside				Death
10th	Victoria	15 June 1883	George Charles Hawker				William Whinham				Resignation
10th	Flinders	1 December 1882	Ebenezer Cooke				Patrick Boyce Coglin				Resignation
10th	Sturt	13 November 1882	William Townsend				Thomas King				Resignation
10th	Onkaparinga	15 June 1882	Friedrich Krichauff				Rowland Rees				Resignation
10th	Yatala	6 September 1881	David Murray				Josiah Howell Bagster				Resignation
10th	Yatala	13 July 1881	David Murray				David Murray				Unseated
10th	East Adelaide	17 June 1881	George Fowler				Thomas Johnson				Resignation
9th	Port Adelaide	27 July 1880	William Quin				John Hart Jr.				Resignation
9th	Gumeracha	24 April 1880	Ebenezer Ward				John Rounsevell				Resignation
9th	Noarlunga	6 January 1880	John Carr				John Colton				Resignation

1870–1879

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
9th	North Adelaide	16 December 1878	Neville Blyth				Caleb Peacock				Resignation
	Encounter Bay	10 October 1878	James Boucaut				William West-Erskine				Resignation
	Noarlunga	14 September 1878	John Colton				Thomas Atkinson				Resignation
	Light	12 June 1878	Frank Skeffington Carroll				David Moody				Resignation
8th	Victoria	17 May 1877	John Ingleby				Lavington Glyde				Resignation
	East Torrens	27 March 1877	Edwin Thomas Smith				David Murray				Resignation
	North Adelaide	14 March 1877	Arthur Blyth				Neville Blyth				Accepted office outside parliament
	West Torrens	27 September 1876	Benjamin Taylor				John Mitchell Sinclair				Resignation
	West Adelaide	21 June 1876	William Knox Simms				John Darling Sr.				Resignation
	Barossa	20 May 1876	John Howard Angas				M. P. F. Basedow				Resignation
	Mount Barker	1 May 1876	William West-Erskine								Resignation
	Sturt	14 April 1876	Samuel Way				Thomas King				Resignation
	Wooroora	7 August 1875	James Pearce				John Bosworth				Resignation
	Albert	12 July 1875	Mountifort Conner				William Wigley				Resignation
	Barossa	9 June 1875	Johann Sudholz				John Dunn Jr.				Unseated
	Wallaroo	4 June 1875	Matthew Madge				Robert Dalrymple Ross				Unseated
	Yatala	17 May 1875	Lavington Glyde				Thomas Cowan				Resignation
			Wentworth Cavenagh				Wentworth Cavenagh				Resignation
	Light	17 May 1875	Randolph Isham Stow				Jenkin Coles				Resignation
7th	The Sturt	7 September 1874	John Henry Barrow				William Mair				Death
	Light	18 September 1873	Mountifort Conner				Randolph Isham Stow				Resignation
	Encounter Bay	5 September 1873	Thomas Reynolds				Arthur Fydell Lindsay				Resignation
	Victoria	17 June 1873	Edwin Derrington				Thomas Boothby				Resignation
	Victoria	29 May 1873	John Riddoch				Park Laurie				Resignation
	The Burra	3 April 1873	John Hart				Rowland Rees				Death
	Encounter Bay	29 February 1872					William Rogers				Unseated
	Encounter Bay	29 February 1872	Thomas Reynolds				Thomas Reynolds				Unseated
6th	Victoria	24 August 1871	William Paltridge				Neville Blyth				Resignation
	Light	12 August 1871	Edward Hamilton				James White				Resignation
	West Torrens	10 August 1871	Henry Strangways				James Boucaut				Resignation
5th	West Torrens	10 February 1870	George Bean				John Pickering				Declared Vacant
	The Sturt	10 February 1870	Richard Bullock Andrews				Frederick Spicer				Resignation

1857–1869

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
5th	Mount Barker	5 November 1868	John Dunn				William Rogers				Unseated
5th	Mount Barker	3 September 1868	William Rogers				John Dunn				Unseated
5th	Mount Barker	3 September 1868	John Cheriton				John Cheriton				Unseated
4th	The Sturt	14 August 1867	Joseph Peacock				Alexander Murray				Death
4th	East Torrens	22 July 1867	Neville Blyth				Daniel Fisher				Resignation
4th	Gumeracha	15 July 1867	Alexander Borthwick Murray				Alexander Hay				Resignation
4th	Victoria	13 December 1866	Adam Lindsay Gordon				James Umpherston				Resignation
4th	East Torrens	3 December 1866	Charles Goode				Randolph Isham Stow				Resignation
4th	Flinders	20 October 1866	Alfred Watts				Augustine Stow				Resignation
4th	The Burra	15 October 1866	George Cole				Alexander McCulloch				Resignation
4th	Port Adelaide	29 June 1866	John Hart				Jacob Smith				Resignation
4th	Light	27 November 1865	John Rounsevell				John Rounsevell				Unseated
4th	Light	12 October 1865	Francis Dutton				John Rounsevell				Accepted office
3rd	East Adelaide	5 November 1864	William Bakewell				Thomas Reynolds				Resignation
3rd	Mount Barker	8 June 1864	Allan McFarlane				William Rogers				Death
3rd	Barossa	8 June 1864	Joseph Barritt				John Williams				Resignation
2nd	Light	8 May 1862	Francis Dutton				John Rowe				Resignation
2nd	The Burra and Clare	8 May 1862	William Dale				John Bentham Neales				Resignation
2nd	Port Adelaide	8 May 1862	William Owen				John Hart				Resignation
2nd	The Murray	8 May 1862	David Wark				Allan McFarlane				Death
2nd	Gumeracha	8 May 1862	Alexander Hay				Alexander Murray				Resignation
2nd	City of Adelaide	2 May 1862	Thomas Reynolds				Thomas Reynolds				Resignation
2nd	City of Adelaide	9 December 1861	Richard Hanson				James Boucaut				Resignation
2nd	The Burra and Clare	6 May 1861	William Lennon				George Kingston				Insolvent
2nd	West Torrens	30 April 1861	George Morphett				Randolph Isham Stow				Resignation
1st	City of Adelaide	13 May 1859	William Henville Burford				William Owen				Resignation
1st	Port Adelaide	11 October 1858	John Hughes				Edward Collinson				Resignation
1st	Mount Barker	16 September 1858	Friedrich Krichauff				William Rogers				Resignation
1st	City of Adelaide	16 September 1858	Robert Torrens				Judah Solomon				Resignation
1st	The Burra and Clare	9 September 1858	Morris Marks				Edward McEllister				Resignation
1st	Light	9 September 1858	William Maturin				David Shannon				Resignation
1st	East Torrens	6 April 1858	Charles Bonney				John Henry Barrow				Resignation
1st	Light	8 February 1858	Carrington Smedley				William Maturin				Resignation
1st	Encounter Bay	15 January 1858	Benjamin Babbage				Henry Strangways				Resignation
1st	Victoria	5 January 1858	Robert Leake				George Charles Hawker				Resignation
1st	Onkaparinga	23 December 1857	William Dawes				William Townsend				Resignation
1st	East Torrens	6 October 1857	George Waterhouse				Lavington Glyde				Resignation
1st	Yatala	5 June 1857	Charles Simeon Hare				Richard Andrews				Resignation
1st	Barossa	1 June 1857	Horace Dean				William Bakewell				Unseated

See also

• List of South Australian Legislative Council appointments
• List of South Australian Legislative Council by-elections

References

• South Australian By-Elections 1851-2011: ECSA
• History of South Australian Elections 1857-2006 Volume 1: ECSA
• History of South Australian elections, 1857-2006 - by Dean Jaensch -
• House of Assembly Chronological List of By-elections (from 1993 Statistical Returns, State Electoral Office, p. 178-179)