Editing Division of Boothby

{{short description|Australian federal electoral division}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox Australian Electorate
| federal   = yes
| name      = Boothby
| image     = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/South Australia (2019)/Boothby.map|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay=[[File:Division of Boothby 2019.png|x100px]]|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom}}
| caption   = Interactive map of boundaries since the [[2019 Australian federal election|2019 federal election]]
| created   = 1903
| mp        = [[Louise Miller-Frost]]
| mp-party  = [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| namesake  = [[William Boothby]]
| electors  = 128766
| electors_year = [[2022 Australian federal election|2022]]
| area      = 130
| class     = Outer metropolitan
}}

The '''Division of Boothby''' is an [[Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives|Australian federal electoral division]] in [[South Australia]]. The division was one of the seven established when the former [[Division of South Australia]] was redistributed on 2 October 1903 and is named after [[William Boothby]] (1829–1903), the Returning Officer for the [[1901 Australian federal election|first federal election]].<ref name=AECprofile>[http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/sa/boothby.htm Profile of the Electoral Division of Boothby], 4 January 2011, Australian Electoral Commission.</ref>

At the [[2016 Australian federal election|2016 federal election]], the seat covered 130&nbsp;km², extending from [[Clarence Gardens]] and [[Urrbrae, South Australia|Urrbrae]] in the north to [[Marino, South Australia|Marino]] and part of [[Happy Valley, South Australia|Happy Valley]] in the south, including the suburbs of [[Belair, South Australia|Belair]], [[Blackwood, South Australia|Blackwood]], [[Brighton, South Australia|Brighton]], [[Daw Park]], [[Eden Hills, South Australia|Eden Hills]], [[Marion, South Australia|Marion]], [[Mitcham, South Australia|Mitcham]], [[Seacliff, South Australia|Seacliff]], [[St Marys, South Australia|St Marys]] and [[Panorama, South Australia|Panorama]].

==Geography==
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the [[Australian Electoral Commission]]. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Damon |title=The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/FederalRedistributions |website=Parliament of Australia |access-date=19 April 2022 |date=14 November 2017 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523135724/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/FederalRedistributions |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
Before 1949 and the creation of the [[Division of Sturt]], Boothby covered most of the southern and eastern suburbs of [[Adelaide]]. For much of the first half-century after Federation, it was one of only three seats based on the capital, the others being [[Division of Adelaide|Adelaide]] and [[Division of Hindmarsh|Hindmarsh]]. The mostly rural seat of [[Division of Barker|Barker]] was then considered a "hybrid urban-rural" seat, stretching from the southern tip of South Australia at least as far as Glenelg and the Holdfast Bay area, and at times even stretched as far as the western metropolitan suburbs of [[Keswick, South Australia|Keswick]] and [[Henley Beach]].

For most of the first half-century after Federation, Boothby was a marginal seat that changed hands several times between the [[Liberal Party of Australia]] (and its predecessors) and the [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP). The [[1949 Australian federal election|1949]] expansion of parliament saw parts of the southern portion transferred to the newly created [[Division of Kingston]] and parts of the eastern portion transferred to the newly created Sturt. This saw Boothby change from a marginal Labor seat on a 1.8 percent two-party margin to a marginal Liberal seat on a two percent two-party margin. However, as part of the massive Liberal victory in the 1949 election, the Liberals picked up a 9.3 percent two-party swing, turning it into a safe Liberal seat in one stroke. The Liberals mostly held the seat for the next 73 years as a fairly safe Liberal seat.

There was only one substantial redistribution in the past few decades when Boothby absorbed parts of the abolished [[Division of Hawker]] before the [[1993 Australian federal election|1993 election]]. This cut the Liberal margin by more than half, from a safe 10.7 two-party margin to a marginal notional 4.5 percent two-party margin. However, the Liberals won the seat on a fairly safe 7.8 percent two-party margin. As of 2007, Boothby extended from [[Mitcham, South Australia|Mitcham]] and [[Belair, South Australia|Belair]] in the east to [[Brighton, South Australia|Brighton]] and [[Seacliff, South Australia|Seacliff]] in the west.<ref name=map2007>[http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/profiles/2007/b/boothby.pdf Map of the Commonwealth Electoral Division of Boothby] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213130748/http://aec.gov.au/pdf/profiles/2007/b/boothby.pdf |date=13 December 2010 }}, 2004, reprinted 2007, Australian Electoral Commission.</ref>

Boothby's most prominent member was [[Steele Hall]], who most notably served as [[Premier of South Australia]] from 1968 to 1970. After leaving state politics, Hall served in the Senate before transferring to Boothby in a [[1981 Boothby by-election|1981 by-election]]. Hall retired at the [[1996 Australian federal election|1996 election]] and the seat was subsequently held from 1996 to 2016 by [[Andrew Southcott]]. Other notable members include [[Lee Batchelor]], a minister in the [[Chris Watson|Watson]] and [[Andrew Fisher|Fisher]] governments; [[John McLeay, Sr.|Sir John McLeay]], who was [[Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives|Speaker]] from 1956 to 1966, and his son [[John McLeay, Jr.|John, Jr.]], a minister in the [[Malcolm Fraser|Fraser]] government.

At the [[2004 Australian federal election|2004 election]], despite a solid national two-party swing and vote to the Liberals, Boothby became a marginal Liberal seat for the first time in over half a century, with Labor's [[Chloë Fox]] reducing the Liberal margin to 5.4 percent even as incumbent [[Andrew Southcott]] narrowly won enough primary votes to retain the seat without the need for preferences. Labor's [[Nicole Cornes]] reduced Southcott's margin even further to 2.9 percent at the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 election]].  At the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 election]] Labor's [[Annabel Digance]] came within 638 votes of ending the long Liberal run in the seat.  At 0.75 percent Boothby was the most marginal seat in South Australia. However, Boothby became a fairly safe Liberal seat again at the [[2013 Australian federal election|2013 election]].

In 2015, Southcott announced his retirement from parliament to take effect at the [[2016 Australian federal election|2016 federal election]]. The Liberals preselected doctoral student and newspaper columnist [[Nicolle Flint]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-01/liberals-announce-nicolle-flint-as-its-boothby-candidate/6902666 |title=Liberals announce Nicolle Flint as Boothby candidate in SA to replace veteran Andrew Southcott: ABC 1 November 2015 |access-date=1 November 2015 |archive-date=1 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101165530/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-01/liberals-announce-nicolle-flint-as-its-boothby-candidate/6902666 |url-status=live }}</ref> Labor preselected [[2015 Davenport state by-election]] candidate Mark Ward.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/steve-georganas-faces-contest-for-labor-pre-selection/6663936 |title=Steve Georganas, former Labor MP, faces contest for Labor preselection for Hindmarsh: ABC 31 July 2015 |access-date=6 January 2016 |archive-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017224129/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/steve-georganas-faces-contest-for-labor-pre-selection/6663936 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Nick Xenophon Team]] announced Mitcham councillor Karen Hockley as their candidate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nxt.org.au/electorates/boothby/ |title=Boothby - Nick Xenophon Team |access-date=2016-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122161830/https://nxt.org.au/electorates/boothby/ |archive-date=2016-01-22 }}</ref> [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] [[psephologist]] [[Antony Green]]'s 2016 federal election guide for South Australia stated NXT had a "strong chance of winning lower house seats and three or four Senate seats".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2016/guide/preview-sa/ |title=Election Guide (SA) - 2016 federal election guide: Antony Green ABC |access-date=21 May 2016 |archive-date=9 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709214138/http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2016/guide/preview-sa/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Flint won the contest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aww.com.au/latest-news/news-stories/australian-election-still-too-close-to-call-27844 |title=Australian election still too close to call |work=[[Australian Women's Weekly]] |author=Paula Matthewson |date=3 July 2016 |access-date=6 July 2016}}</ref> Flint held on narrowly on 53.5 percent of the two-party vote on a swing of 3.6 percent, making the seat marginal once again.

A redistribution ahead of the [[2019 Australian federal election|2019 federal election]] pared back the Liberal margin to 2.7 percent. This came even as Boothby absorbed [[Glenelg, South Australia|Glenelg]] and much of the [[Holdfast Bay]] area from neighbouring Hindmarsh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/sa/|title=2017-18 Federal Redistribution - South Australia|work=ABC Elections|date=26 June 2018|access-date=9 July 2019|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729113143/http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/sa/|url-status=live}}</ref> Flint won reelection again, despite suffering a swing of 1.3 points. With a margin of 1.3 points, Boothby was the most marginal seat in South Australia and one of the most marginal metropolitan Coalition seats in Australia at the 2022 election.

On 26 February 2021, Flint announced her retirement from parliament to take effect at the [[2022 Australian federal election]].<ref>[https://www.smh.com.au/national/liberal-mp-nicolle-flint-announces-she-s-quitting-federal-politics-20210226-p576bb.html: Sydney Morning Herald 26 February 2021]</ref>  Vinnies SA CEO [[Louise Miller-Frost]] was preselected by Labor in mid-2021 and won the seat at the 21 May 2022 Federal election with 4.66% swing. Flint sought to regain Boothby in [[2025 Australian federal election|2025]], but Miller-Frost retained it on a swing of 7.8 percent. This was enough to boost her margin to 11 percent, the strongest result for Labor in the seat's history and enough to make it a safe Labor seat on paper.

==Members==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=2 | Image
! Member
! Party
! Term
! Notes
|-

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Lee Batchelor - Humphrey & Co (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| [[Lee Batchelor]]<br />{{small|(1865–1911)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labour]]
| nowrap | [[1903 Australian federal election|16 December 1903]] –<br/>8 October 1911
| Previously held the Division of [[Division of South Australia|South Australia]]. Served as a minister under [[Watson Government|Watson]] and [[Andrew Fisher|Fisher]]. Died in office

|-
| {{Australian party style|Commonwealth Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:David Gordon (Australian politician).jpg|100px]]
| [[David Gordon (Australian politician)|David Gordon]]<br />{{small|(1865–1946)}}
| [[Liberal Party (Australia, 1909)|Liberal]]
| nowrap | [[1911 Boothby by-election|11 November 1911]] –<br/>[[1913 Australian federal election|31 May 1913]]
| Lost seat. Later elected to the [[South Australian Legislative Council]] in 1913

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=3 | [[File:George Dankel 2.jpeg|100px]]
| rowspan=3 | [[George Dankel]]<br />{{small|(1864–1926)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| nowrap | [[1913 Australian federal election|31 May 1913]] –<br/>[[Australian Labor Party split of 1916|14 November 1916]]
| rowspan=3 | Previously held the [[South Australian House of Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Torrens|Torrens]]. Retired
|-
| {{Australian party style|National Labor}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[National Labor Party|National Labor]]
| nowrap | [[Australian Labor Party split of 1916|14 November 1916]] –<br/>17 February 1917
|-
| {{Australian party style|Nationalist}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan="2" | [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist]]
| nowrap | 17 February 1917 –<br/>[[1917 Australian federal election|26 March 1917]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Nationalist}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:William Story.jpg|100px]]
| [[William Story (Australian politician)|William Story]]<br />{{small|(1857–1924)}}
| nowrap | [[1917 Australian federal election|5 May 1917]] –<br/>[[1922 Australian federal election|16 December 1922]]
| Previously a member of the [[Australian Senate|Senate]]. Served as [[List of whips in the Australian House of Representatives#Nationalist Party of Australia|Chief Government Whip in the House]] under [[Billy Hughes|Hughes]]. Lost seat

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal Union}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=2 | [[File:John Duncan-Hughes.jpg|100px]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Jack Duncan-Hughes]]<br />{{small|(1882–1962)}}
| [[Liberal Union (South Australia)|Liberal Union]]
| nowrap | [[1922 Australian federal election|16 December 1922]] –<br/>1925
| rowspan=2 | Lost seat. Later elected to the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] in [[1931 Australian federal election|1931]]
|-
| {{Australian party style|Nationalist}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist]]
| nowrap | 1925 –<br/>[[1928 Australian federal election|17 November 1928]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=3 | [[File:John Lloyd Price.jpg|100px]] 
| rowspan=3 | [[John Price (South Australian politician)|John Price]]<br />{{small|(1882–1941)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| nowrap | [[1928 Australian federal election|17 November 1928]] –<br/>[[Australian Labor Party split of 1931|March 1931]]
| rowspan=3 | Previously held the [[South Australian House of Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Port Adelaide|Port Adelaide]]. Served as [[List of whips in the Australian House of Representatives#United Australia Party|Chief Government Whip in the House]] under [[Joseph Lyons|Lyons]]. Died in office
|-
| {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp;
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| nowrap | [[Australian Labor Party split of 1931|March 1931]] –<br/>7 May 1931
|-
| {{Australian party style|UAP}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan="2" | [[United Australia Party|United Australia]]
| nowrap | 7 May 1931 –<br/>23 April 1941

|-
| {{Australian party style|UAP}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Grenfell Price.jpg|100px]]
| [[Grenfell Price]]<br />{{small|(1892–1977)}}
| nowrap | [[1941 Boothby by-election|24 May 1941]] –<br/>[[1943 Australian federal election|21 August 1943]]
| Lost seat

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Thomas_Sheehy.png|100px]]
| [[Thomas Sheehy]]<br />{{small|(1899–1984)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| nowrap | [[1943 Australian federal election|21 August 1943]] –<br/>[[1949 Australian federal election|10 December 1949]]
| Did not contest in [[1949 Australian federal election|1949]]. Failed to win the Division of [[Division of Kingston|Kingston]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:JohnMcLeaySr1962.jpg|100px]]
| [[John McLeay Sr.|Sir John McLeay Sr.]]<br />{{small|(1893–1982)}}
| rowspan="5" | [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]
| nowrap | [[1949 Australian federal election|10 December 1949]] –<br/>[[1966 Australian federal election|31 October 1966]]
| Previously held the [[South Australian House of Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Unley|Unley]]. Served as [[Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives|Speaker]] during the [[Robert Menzies|Menzies]] and [[Harold Holt|Holt]] Governments. Retired. Son was [[John McLeay Jr.]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:John McLeay 1974 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| [[John McLeay Jr.]]<br />{{small|(1922–2000)}}
| nowrap | [[1966 Australian federal election|26 November 1966]] –<br/>22 January 1981
| Served as minister under [[Fraser Government|Fraser]]. Resigned to retire from politics. Father was [[John McLeay Sr.]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Steele Hall 1974 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| [[Steele Hall (Australian politician)|Steele Hall]]<br />{{small|(1928–2024)}}
| nowrap | [[1981 Boothby by-election|21 February 1981]] –<br/>[[1996 Australian federal election|29 January 1996]]
| Served as [[Premier of South Australia]] from 1968 to 1970. Previously a member of the [[Australian Senate|Senate]]. Retired

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Andrew Southcott.jpg|100px]]
| [[Andrew Southcott]]<br />{{small|(1967–)}}
| nowrap | [[1996 Australian federal election|2 March 1996]] –<br/>[[2016 Australian federal election|9 May 2016]]
| Retired

|-
| {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Liberal Placeholder.png|100px]]
| [[Nicolle Flint]]<br />{{small|(1978–)}}
| nowrap | [[2016 Australian federal election|2 July 2016]] –<br/>[[2022 Australian federal election|11 April 2022]]
| Retired

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Louise Miller-Frost.png|100px]]
| [[Louise Miller-Frost]]<br />{{small|(1967–)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| nowrap | [[2022 Australian federal election|21 May 2022]] –<br/>present
| Incumbent
|}

==Election results==
{{main|Electoral results for the Division of Boothby}}
{{Excerpt|Results of the 2025 Australian federal election in South Australia|section=Boothby}}

==See also==
* [[2016 Australian federal election]]
* [[Results of the Australian federal election, 2016 (South Australia)]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/federal_elections/2001/Profiles/sa/index.htm SA boundary map, 2001: AEC]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160310083801/http://www.atlas.sa.gov.au/images/4sa9politics1.jpg SA boundary map, 1984: Atlas SA]

{{Australian federal divisions of South Australia}}

{{coord|-35.012|138.596|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boothby, Division of}}
[[Category:Electoral divisions of Australia]]
[[Category:Electoral divisions of Australia in South Australia]]
[[Category:Constituencies established in 1903]]
[[Category:1903 establishments in Australia]]