Division of Boothby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boothby Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Boothby in South Australia, as of the 2019 federal election.
Created	1903
MP	Louise Miller-Frost
Party	Labor
Namesake	William Boothby
Electors	128,766 (2022)
Area	130 km2 (50.2 sq mi)
Demographic	Outer metropolitan

The Division of Boothby is an important area in South Australia. It is where people vote for their representative in the Australian Parliament. This area was created on October 2, 1903. It is named after William Boothby, who helped run the very first federal election in 1901.

The Boothby area covers about 130 square kilometers. It includes many suburbs like Belair, Blackwood, Brighton, Marion, and Mitcham.

What is an Electoral Division?

An electoral division is like a special zone on a map. People living in that zone vote for one person to represent them. This person then speaks for their community in the Australian Parliament.

How are Electoral Boundaries Decided?

The borders of these voting areas can change over time. This is called a "redistribution." The Australian Electoral Commission decides these changes. They happen every seven years or if a state's population changes a lot. This makes sure each area has a fair number of voters.

A Look Back: Boothby's History

The Division of Boothby has a long history. When it was first created, it covered many southern and eastern suburbs of Adelaide. For a long time, it was one of only a few voting areas in the capital city.

How Boothby's Boundaries Changed

In 1949, the parliament grew bigger. Parts of Boothby were moved to new areas like the Division of Kingston and the Division of Sturt. This made Boothby change from an area that often voted for the Labor Party to one that usually voted for the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party then held the seat for 73 years.

Later, in 1993, Boothby absorbed parts of another area called Division of Hawker. This made the voting results in Boothby much closer. The area now stretches from Mitcham in the east to Brighton in the west.

Key Moments in Boothby's Elections

In the 2000s, elections in Boothby became very close again. In 2010, the Labor candidate came very close to winning. Boothby became the most closely contested seat in South Australia. However, in 2013, it became a safer Liberal seat once more.

Before the 2016 election, the sitting member, Andrew Southcott, decided to retire. Nicolle Flint won the seat for the Liberal Party, but it was a very close race. In 2019, the boundaries changed again, making the seat even more marginal. Nicolle Flint was re-elected, but with a very small lead.

In 2021, Nicolle Flint announced she would retire. In the 2022 election, Louise Miller-Frost from the Labor Party won the seat. She is the current representative for Boothby.

Who Has Represented Boothby?

Many people have been the Member of Parliament for Boothby. Here are some of them:

Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
	Lee Batchelor (1865–1911)	Labour	16 December 1903 – 8 October 1911	Was a minister in early governments.
	David Gordon (1865–1946)	Commonwealth Liberal	11 November 1911 – 31 May 1913	Later served in the South Australian Parliament.
	George Dankel (1864–1926)	Labor	31 May 1913 – 26 March 1917	Retired from politics.
	William Story (1857–1924)	Nationalist	5 May 1917 – 16 December 1922	Was a Chief Government Whip.
	Jack Duncan-Hughes (1882–1962)	Liberal Union	16 December 1922 – 17 November 1928	Later served in the Australian Senate.
	John Price (1882–1941)	Labor	17 November 1928 – 23 April 1941	Died while in office.
	Grenfell Price (1892–1977)	United Australia	24 May 1941 – 21 August 1943	Served for one term.
	Thomas Sheehy (1899–1984)	Labor	21 August 1943 – 10 December 1949	Did not run in 1949.
	(Sir) John McLeay Sr. (1893–1982)	Liberal	10 December 1949 – 31 October 1966	Was the Speaker of the House. His son also became a member.
	John McLeay Jr. (1922–2000)	Liberal	26 November 1966 – 22 January 1981	Was a minister. His father was also a member.
	Steele Hall (1928–)	Liberal	21 February 1981 – 29 January 1996	Was previously the Premier of South Australia.
	Andrew Southcott (1967–)	Liberal	2 March 1996 – 9 May 2016	Retired from politics.
	Nicolle Flint (1978–)	Liberal	2 July 2016 – 11 April 2022	Retired from politics.
	Louise Miller-Frost (1967–)	Labor	21 May 2022 – present	The current representative for Boothby.

Election Results in Boothby

To see detailed results from past elections in Boothby, you can check out the main article:

. The results of the most recent election in 2022 are also available: