ALP 20.1%
Incumbent MP
Tony Piccolo, since 2006.
Geography
Northern fringe of Adelaide. Light covers the Gawler area, including Evanston, Hillier, Kudla and Willaston.
Redistribution
Light contracted, losing the northern end of Light to Ngadjuri, including Buchfelde, Hewett and Ward Belt. Light also gained part of Munna Para West from Taylor. These changes increased the Labor margin from 19.5% to 20.1%.
History
Light is a longstanding electorate for South Australian state elections. The seat existed as a multi-member seat from 1867 until 1902. The seat was then restored in 1938 and has existed ever since. Apart from one term in the 1940s, the Liberal Party held the seat continuously until 2006.
The Liberal and Country League won the seat in 1938. The ALP won in 1941, and lost the seat to the LCL in 1944. The LCL held the seat after 1944 for the next sixty years.
In 1970, the LCL’s Bruce Eastick won the seat. He served as the LCL’s leader in opposition from 1972 to 1975, during which time the party was renamed as the Liberal Party.
Eastick later served as Speaker from 1979 to 1982, and retired at the 1993 election.
Malcolm Buckby won the seat for the Liberal Party in 1993. He served as a shadow minister from 2002 to 2004.
In 2006, Buckby suffered a 4.9% swing, and lost his seat to Tony Piccolo. Piccolo has been re-elected four times.
Candidates
Sitting Labor MP Tony Piccolo is moving to the neighbouring seat of Ngadjuri.
- James Agness (Labor)
- Alex Banks (One Nation)
Assessment
Light is a very safe Labor seat.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Tony Piccolo | Labor | 13,144 | 57.5 | +6.4 | 57.5 |
| Andrew Williamson | Liberal | 5,468 | 23.9 | -10.5 | 23.1 |
| David Duncan | One Nation | 1,542 | 6.8 | +6.8 | 6.9 |
| Brett Ferris | Greens | 1,506 | 6.6 | -0.3 | 6.8 |
| Benjamin Hackett | Family First | 1,184 | 5.2 | +5.2 | 5.5 |
| Others | 0.1 | ||||
| Informal | 704 | 3.0 |
2022 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Tony Piccolo | Labor | 15,873 | 69.5 | +11.1 | 70.1 |
| Andrew Williamson | Liberal | 6,971 | 30.5 | -11.1 | 29.9 |
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 67.9% in the north to 76.3% in the south.
| Voter group | ALP 2PP | Total votes | % of votes |
| North | 67.9 | 5,885 | 27.3 |
| Central | 71.6 | 3,785 | 17.5 |
| South | 76.3 | 3,087 | 14.3 |
| Other votes | 68.8 | 8,827 | 40.9 |
Election results in Light at the 2022 South Australian state election
Toggle between two-party-preferred votes and primary votes for Labor and the Liberal Party.
Labor has announced James Agness, the chief of staff to Nick Champion, as their candidate for Light in 2026.
Even as an open seat contest, Labor should easily retain Light (especially given the current state of opinion polls). This is a seat that has changed significantly, as it was a mixed urban-rural seat stretching as far as Hamley Bridge and Freeling in Light Regional council when Tony Piccolo first won it in 2006.
Depending how poorly Liberals do and if One Nation continue to improve they could make it in the ttp.