Adelaide – SA 2026

ALP 6.2%

Incumbent MP
Lucy Hood, since 2022.

Geography
Central Adelaide. The electorate covers the Adelaide city centre, as well as the suburbs of North Adelaide, Ovingham, Fitzroy, Thorngate, Medindie, Medindie Gardens, Gilberton, Walkerville and parts of Prospect, Nailsworth and Collinswood. Adelaide covers the entirety of the City of Adelaide, a majority of both Prospect and Walkerville council areas, and small parts of Charles Sturt local government area.

Redistribution
No change.

History
The electorate of Adelaide has existed since early in the 20th century. The seat was dominated by the ALP prior to 1989. Since 1989, the seat has changed hands every 2-3 terms, with the Liberal Party holding the seat slightly more often than Labor.

The seat of Adelaide was held by the ALP continuously from 1944 until 1989.

In 1989, the Liberal Party’s Michael Armitage won the seat. Armitage served as a minister from 1993, and retired in 2002.

In 2002, the ALP’s Jane Lomax-Smith, a former Lord Mayor of Adelaide, defeated the new Liberal candidate. Lomax-Smith was re-elected in 2006, and over her two terms served in a variety of ministerial roles.

The Liberal Party’s Rachel Sanderson defeated Lomax-Smith in 2010, and she was re-elected in 2014 and 2018.

Sanderson was defeated in 2022 by Labor candidate Lucy Hood.

Candidates

Assessment
While this seat has recently been quite a marginal seat, Labor should easily retain this seat in current circumstances.

2022 result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Lucy Hood Labor 9,477 40.6 +4.9
Rachel Sanderson Liberal 9,273 39.8 -7.4
Sean Cullen-Macaskill Greens 3,146 13.5 +0.8
Robert Walker Family Party 545 2.3 +2.3
Deanna Carbone Animal Justice 502 2.2 +2.2
Tom Birdseye Real Change 380 1.6 +1.6
Informal 569 2.4

2022 two-party-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Lucy Hood Labor 13,097 56.2 +7.1
Rachel Sanderson Liberal 10,226 43.8 -7.1

Booth breakdown

Booths have been divided into three parts: central, north and south.

Labor won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all three areas, ranging from 51.7% in the centre to 65% in the south.

The Greens came third, with a primary vote ranging from 10.4% in the north to 21% in the south.

Voter group GRN prim ALP 2PP Total votes % of votes
North 10.4 55.3 7,203 30.9
South 21.0 65.0 4,051 17.4
Central 11.8 51.7 3,036 13.0
Other votes 13.2 54.3 9,033 38.7

Election results in Adelaide at the 2022 South Australian state election
Toggle between two-party-preferred votes and primary votes for Labor, the Liberal Party and the Greens.

Become a Patron!