Electoral district of Frome
Encyclopedia
Frome is an electoral district
of the House of Assembly
in the Australia
n state of South Australia
. It is named after Edward Charles Frome
, the third surveyor-general of South Australia. The electorate is based around the industrial city of Port Pirie
and the agriculture areas of Clare
and Gilbert Valleys. It covers a total of 6,889.7 km² and takes in the towns of Auburn
, Clare
, Crystal Brook
, Gladstone
, Laura
, Mintaro
, Penwortham
, Port Broughton
, Port Pirie
, Snowtown
, Tarlee
and Riverton
.
Frome has existed in three incarnations throughout the history of the House of Assembly: as a multi-member marginal electorate from 1884 to 1902, as a single member electorate in a multi member electoral system from 1938 to 1977, and as a marginal to moderately safe seat for the Liberal Party of Australia
since 1993.
The first incarnation was, like the rest of the state, independent-held until the development of the party system until in the 1890s. The two seats were split evenly with a conservative and a liberal member from 1890 until the seat's abolition in 1902.
The second incarnation began in 1938 after the introduction of the Playmander
. The electorate was dominated by the Labor
-voting town of Port Pirie as a single member seat. The seat was won by Mick O'Halloran
, who served as Opposition Leader from 1949 until his death in 1960. After the end of the Playmander which saw all electorates hold approximately the same number of voters, Frome took in more rural areas around Port Pirie, and was lost by Labor to the Liberal and Country League
, until the abolition of the seat in 1977.
The third incarnation saw the seat revived at the 1991 redistribution as a marginal seat, which took in Port Pirie and surrounding rural areas. It was first contested at the 1993 election and was won by Liberal
candidate Rob Kerin
.
Kerin chose to retire in November 2008, which triggered a January 2009 Frome by-election
. The seat was won by independent Geoff Brock
after a very close preference contest in which Brock finish second place by 30 votes, with the Liberals in front and Labor coming third. Brock received sufficient preferences from the eliminated Labor candidate to prevail over the Liberal candidate by over 600 votes, or 51.7 percent of the two-candidate preferred vote. He increased his primary and two-candidate vote significantly at the 2010 election, and the Labor candidate notably won the two-party preferred vote against the Liberal candidate by 30 votes.
South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts
Since 1970, the South Australian House of Assembly has consisted of 47 single-member electoral districts consisting of approximately the same number of enrolled voters...
of the House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. It is named after Edward Charles Frome
Edward Charles Frome
General Edward Charles Frome was a prominent British Army officer and Surveyor-general of South Australia....
, the third surveyor-general of South Australia. The electorate is based around the industrial city of Port Pirie
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....
and the agriculture areas of Clare
Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, best known for Riesling wines. It lies in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 120 km north of Adelaide. The valley runs north-south, with Main North Road as the main thoroughfare....
and Gilbert Valleys. It covers a total of 6,889.7 km² and takes in the towns of Auburn
Auburn, South Australia
Auburn is the name of a small town in the southern edge of the Clare Valley, in the Mid North of South Australia.-History:Often considered the Gateway to the Clare Valley, Auburn was originally settled by William Tateham, who lived in a dugout along the Wakefield River and was first named...
, Clare
Clare, South Australia
The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.-History:One of the first settlers in the area was John Horrocks, in 1839...
, Crystal Brook
Crystal Brook, South Australia
Crystal Brook is a town in South Australia, named after the spring-fed creek next to which it was founded. It is north of Adelaide and in 2006 had a population of 1,185.Crystal Brook is situated on Goyder's Line near the border of two climate systems...
, Gladstone
Gladstone, South Australia
Gladstone is a small rural town in the Mid North of South Australia in the approach to the lower Flinders Ranges. At the 2006 census, Gladstone had a population of 629....
, Laura
Laura, South Australia
Laura is a rural town in the Mid North - Southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, 12 km north of Gladstone on the Main North Road and 40 km east of Port Pirie....
, Mintaro
Mintaro, South Australia
' is an historic town in the eastern Clare Valley, about 128 km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare.-History:...
, Penwortham
Penwortham, South Australia
Penwortham is a small town in the Clare Valley, South Australia, along the Main North Road, approximately 10 kilometres south of Clare and 14 kilometres north of Auburn...
, Port Broughton
Port Broughton, South Australia
Port Broughton is a small South Australian town located on the Yorke Peninsula on the east coast of Spencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north west of Adelaide, and 56 km south of Port Pirie At the 2006 census, Port Broughton had a population of 908....
, Port Pirie
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....
, Snowtown
Snowtown, South Australia
The town of Snowtown is located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km north of Adelaide and lies on the main route between Adelaide and Perth. The town's elevation is 103 metres and on average the town receives 389 mm of rainfall per annum.-History:...
, Tarlee
Tarlee, South Australia
Tarlee is a town in South Australia. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is thought to be a corruption of the name Tralee in Ireland. The town is in the lower Mid North region where Main North Road crosses the Gilbert River. It is approximately 8 km south of Giles Corner, where the...
and Riverton
Riverton, South Australia
Riverton is a small town of distinctive character and interest to travellers in the Mid North of South Australia, in the Gilbert Valley. It is situated on the Gilbert River, from which the town derives its name...
.
Frome has existed in three incarnations throughout the history of the House of Assembly: as a multi-member marginal electorate from 1884 to 1902, as a single member electorate in a multi member electoral system from 1938 to 1977, and as a marginal to moderately safe seat for the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
since 1993.
The first incarnation was, like the rest of the state, independent-held until the development of the party system until in the 1890s. The two seats were split evenly with a conservative and a liberal member from 1890 until the seat's abolition in 1902.
The second incarnation began in 1938 after the introduction of the Playmander
Playmander
The Playmander was a form of electoral malapportionment in the Australian state of South Australia, in place from 1936 to 1968. It consisted of rural districts enjoying a 2-to-1 advantage in the state parliament, even though they contained less than half of the population, as well as a change from...
. The electorate was dominated by the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
-voting town of Port Pirie as a single member seat. The seat was won by Mick O'Halloran
Mick O'Halloran
Michael Raphael O'Halloran was an Australian Labor Party politician, serving in the Australian Senate and as opposition leader in the Parliament of South Australia....
, who served as Opposition Leader from 1949 until his death in 1960. After the end of the Playmander which saw all electorates hold approximately the same number of voters, Frome took in more rural areas around Port Pirie, and was lost by Labor to the Liberal and Country League
Liberal and Country League
The Liberal and Country League was a major political party in South Australia throughout its forty year existence. Thirty-four years were spent in government, in part due to the electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander, introduced after coming to power.Created on 9 June 1932 as the...
, until the abolition of the seat in 1977.
The third incarnation saw the seat revived at the 1991 redistribution as a marginal seat, which took in Port Pirie and surrounding rural areas. It was first contested at the 1993 election and was won by Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate Rob Kerin
Rob Kerin
Robert Gerard Kerin was the Liberal Premier of South Australia from 22 October 2001 to 5 March 2002. He also served as Deputy Premier of South Australia to John Olsen from 7 July 1998 until he became premier upon Olsen's resignation....
.
Kerin chose to retire in November 2008, which triggered a January 2009 Frome by-election
Frome state by-election, 2009
A by-election was held for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Frome on 17 January 2009. This was triggered by the resignation of former Premier and state Liberal MHA Rob Kerin...
. The seat was won by independent Geoff Brock
Geoff Brock
Geoffrey Graeme "Geoff" Brock is a South Australian politician, representing the seat of Frome in the South Australian House of Assembly as an Independent, after a shock win at the 2009 Frome state by-election, defeating the Liberal candidate Terry Boylan. He had a high local profile prior to the...
after a very close preference contest in which Brock finish second place by 30 votes, with the Liberals in front and Labor coming third. Brock received sufficient preferences from the eliminated Labor candidate to prevail over the Liberal candidate by over 600 votes, or 51.7 percent of the two-candidate preferred vote. He increased his primary and two-candidate vote significantly at the 2010 election, and the Labor candidate notably won the two-party preferred vote against the Liberal candidate by 30 votes.
Members for Frome
| First incarnation (1884–1902, two members) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Ebenezer Ward | none | 1884–1890 | |
| William Copley | none | 1884–1887 | |
| Clement Giles | none | 1887–1890 | |
| Laurence O'Loughan | Liberal Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
1890–1902 | |
| Clement Giles | Conservative Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
1890–late 1890s | |
| National Defence League | Late 1890s–1902 | ||
| Second incarnation (1938–1977) | |||
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Mick O'Halloran Mick O'Halloran Michael Raphael O'Halloran was an Australian Labor Party politician, serving in the Australian Senate and as opposition leader in the Parliament of South Australia.... |
Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1938–1960 | |
| Tom Casey | Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1960–1970 | |
| Ernest Allen | Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
1970–1977 | |
| Third incarnation (1993–present) | |||
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Rob Kerin Rob Kerin Robert Gerard Kerin was the Liberal Premier of South Australia from 22 October 2001 to 5 March 2002. He also served as Deputy Premier of South Australia to John Olsen from 7 July 1998 until he became premier upon Olsen's resignation.... |
Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
1993–2008 | |
| Geoff Brock Geoff Brock Geoffrey Graeme "Geoff" Brock is a South Australian politician, representing the seat of Frome in the South Australian House of Assembly as an Independent, after a shock win at the 2009 Frome state by-election, defeating the Liberal candidate Terry Boylan. He had a high local profile prior to the... |
Independent | 2009–present | |
