List of South Australian House of Assembly by-elections

This is a list of by-elections and scheduled by-elections for the South Australian House of Assembly.

A by-election may be held when a member's seat becomes vacant through resignation, death or some other reasons. These vacancies are called casual vacancies.

Gains for Labor are highlighted in red; for Liberal and its predecessors in blue; and others in grey.

2020–2029

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
55th	Black	16 November 2024	David Speirs		Liberal	Alex Dighton		Labor	Resignation	No
55th	Dunstan	23 March 2024	Steven Marshall		Liberal	Cressida O'Hanlon		Labor	Resignation	No
55th	Bragg	2 July 2022	Vickie Chapman		Liberal	Jack Batty		Liberal	Resignation	Yes

2010–2019

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
54th	Cheltenham	9 February 2019	Jay Weatherill		Labor	Joe Szakacs		Labor	Resignation	Yes
54th	Enfield	9 February 2019	John Rau		Labor	Andrea Michaels		Labor	Resignation	Yes
53rd	Davenport	31 January 2015	Iain Evans		Liberal	Sam Duluk		Liberal	Resignation	Yes
53rd	Fisher	6 December 2014	Bob Such		Independent	Nat Cook		Labor	Death	No
52nd	Ramsay	11 February 2012	Mike Rann		Labor	Zoe Bettison		Labor	Resignation	Yes
52nd	Port Adelaide	11 February 2012	Kevin Foley		Labor	Susan Close		Labor	Resignation	Yes

2000–2009

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
51st	Frome	17 January 2009	Rob Kerin		Liberal	Geoff Brock		Independent	Resignation	No

1990–1999

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
48th	Taylor	5 November 1994	Lynn Arnold		Labor	Trish White		Labor	Resignation	Yes
48th	Torrens	7 May 1994	Joe Tiernan		Liberal	Robyn Geraghty		Labor	Death	No
48th	Elizabeth	9 April 1994	Martyn Evans		Labor	Lea Stevens		Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	Yes
47th	Kavel	9 May 1992	Roger Goldsworthy		Liberal	John Olsen		Liberal	Resignation to provide Olsen a seat.	Yes
47th	Alexandra	9 May 1992	Ted Chapman		Liberal	Dean Brown		Liberal	Resignation to provide Brown a seat.	Yes
47th	Custance	23 June 1990	John Olsen		Liberal	Ivan Venning		Liberal	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes

1980–1989

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
45th	Elizabeth	1 December 1984	Peter Duncan		Labor	Martyn Evans		Independent Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	No
45th	Bragg	14 May 1983	David Tonkin		Liberal	Graham Ingerson		Liberal	Resignation	Yes
44th	Florey	4 September 1982	Harold O'Neill		Labor	Bob Gregory		Labor	Resignation (ill health)	Yes
44th	Mitcham	8 May 1982	Robin Millhouse		Democrats	Heather Southcott		Democrats	Resignation (Appointed to SA Supreme Court)	Yes
44th	Norwood	16 February 1980	Frank Webster		Liberal	Greg Crafter		Labor	Unseated	No

1970–1979

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
43rd	Norwood	10 March 1979	Don Dunstan		Labor	Greg Crafter		Labor	Resignation (ill health)	Yes
41st	Goyder	8 June 1974	Steele Hall		Liberal Movement	David Boundy		Liberal Movement	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes
41st	Semaphore	2 June 1973	Reg Hurst		Labor	Jack Olson		Labor	Death	Yes
40th	Adelaide	3 July 1971	Sam Lawn		Labor	Jack Wright		Labor	Death	Yes

1960–1969

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
39th	Millicent	22 June 1968	Des Corcoran		Labor	Des Corcoran		Labor	Unseated	Yes
37th	Semaphore	3 October 1964	Harold Tapping		Labor	Reg Hurst		Labor	Death	Yes
37th	Stirling	28 September 1963	William Jenkins		LCL	William McAnaney		LCL	Death	Yes
37th	Yorke Peninsula	9 February 1963	Cecil Hincks		LCL	James Ferguson		LCL	Death	Yes
37th	Mount Gambier	15 December 1962	Ron Ralston		Labor	Allan Burdon		Labor	Death	Yes
36th	Frome	5 November 1960	Mick O'Halloran		Labor	Tom Casey		Labor	Death	Yes
36th	Light	23 April 1960	George Hambour		LCL	Leslie Nicholson		LCL	Death	Yes

1950–1959

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
35th	Mount Gambier	12 July 1958	John Fletcher		Independent	Ron Ralston		Labor	Death	No
35th	Wallaroo	3 August 1957	Leslie Heath		LCL	Lloyd Hughes		Labor	Death	No
34th	Mitcham	7 May 1955	Henry Dunks		LCL	Robin Millhouse		LCL	Death	Yes
33rd	Stirling	18 October 1952	Herbert Dunn		LCL	William Jenkins		LCL	Death	Yes
33rd	Gawler	19 April 1952	Leslie Duncan		Labor	John Clark		Labor	Death	Yes
33rd	Flinders	2 June 1951	Rex Pearson		LCL	Glen Pearson		LCL	Resignation (entered Senate)	Yes

1940–1949

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
32nd	Rocky River	26 February 1949	John Lyons		LCL	James Heaslip		LCL	Death	Yes
32nd	Alexandra	19 June 1948	Herbert Hudd		LCL	David Brookman		LCL	Death	Yes
31st	Port Pirie	19 October 1946	Andrew Lacey		Labor	Charles Davis		Labor	Death	Yes
31st	Semaphore	5 October 1946	Albert Thompson		Labor	Harold Tapping		Labor	Resignation (entered HoR)	Yes
31st	Burnside	22 June 1946	Charles Abbott		LCL	Geoffrey Clarke		LCL	Resignation	Yes
31st	Victoria	29 September 1945	Vernon Petherick		LCL	Jim Corcoran		Labor	Death	No
30th	Gouger	10 July 1943	Albert Robinson		Independent	Horace Bowden		Labor	Death	No
30th	Thebarton	12 December 1942	Jules Langdon		Independent	Fred Walsh		Labor	Death	No

1930–1939

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
29th	Light	21 January 1939	Richard Layton Butler		LCL	Herbert Michael		LCL	Resignation (contested HoR)	Yes
28th	Port Pirie	3 March 1937	John Fitzgerald		Labor	William Threadgold		Labor	Death	Yes
28th	Wooroora	29 September 1934	Archie Cameron		LCL	Albert Robinson		Independent	Resignation (entered HoR)	No
28th	Alexandra	10 February 1934	George Laffer		LCL	George Connor		Independent	Death	No
28th	Barossa	8 July 1933	Herbert Basedow		Independent	Reginald Rudall		LCL	Death	No
27th	Victoria	5 March 1932	Peter Reidy		Liberal	Vernon Petherick		Liberal	Death	Yes
27th	Adelaide	25 July 1931	Bert Edwards		Labor	Martin Collaton		Lang Labor	Absent without leave	No

1920–1929

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
26th	Port Adelaide	2 July 1927	Thomas Thompson		Protestant Labor	Thomas Thompson		Protestant Labor	Unseated	Yes
25th	Adelaide	21 September 1926	John Gunn		Labor	Herbert George		Labor	Resignation	Yes
25th	Stanley	16 March 1926	Henry Barwell		Liberal	John Lyons		Liberal	Resignation	Yes
25th	Yorke Peninsula	20 January 1926	Peter Allen		Liberal	Edward Giles		Liberal	Death	Yes
25th	East Torrens	28 November 1925	Harry Kneebone		Labor	Walter Hamilton		Liberal	Resignation (contested HoR)	No
25th	Port Adelaide	20 June 1925	John Price		Labor	John Stanley Verran		Labor	Resignation	Yes
25th	Barossa	22 November 1924	William Hague		Liberal	Henry Crosby		Liberal	Death	Yes
24th	Alexandra	20 January 1923	George Ritchie		Liberal	Percy Heggaton		Liberal	Resignation	Yes
23rd	Alexandra	12 June 1920	Archibald Peake		Liberal	Herbert Hudd		Liberal	Death	Yes

1910–1919

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
22nd	Barossa	2 June 1917	Ephraim Coombe		Labor	Henry Crosby		Liberal	Death	No
22nd	East Torrens	12 May 1917	Lionel Hill		Labor	William Hamilton		Liberal	Resignation (contested Senate)	No
22nd	Adelaide	12 May 1917	John Gunn		Labor	Bert Edwards		Labor	Resignation (contested HoR)	Yes
22nd	Newcastle	12 May 1917	Thomas Butterfield		Labor	Edward Twopeny		Liberal	Resignation (contested Senate)	No
22nd	Alexandra	19 June 1915	Alexander McDonald		Liberal	Archibald Peake		Liberal	Resignation	Yes
21st	Alexandra	20 December 1913	William Blacker		Liberal	George Laffer		Liberal	Death	Yes
21st	Murray	23 November 1912	William Jamieson		Liberal	Harry Dove Young		Liberal	Death	Yes

1900–1909

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause	Retained
19th	Torrens	3 July 1909	Thomas Price		Labor	Thomas Ryan		Labor	Death	Yes
19th	Wooroora	13 February 1909	Friedrich Wilhelm Paech		ANL	Frederick William Young		FPPU	Death	No
19th	Northern Territory	5 December 1908	Vaiben Louis Solomon		ANL	Thomas Crush		Labor	Death	No
19th	Adelaide	20 June 1908	Ernest Roberts		Labor	Edward Alfred Anstey		Labor	Resignation	Yes
19th	Flinders	18 May 1907	Arthur Hugh Inkster		LDU	Edgar Hampton Warren		FPPU	Death	No
19th	Stanley	13 April 1907	William Patrick Cummins		LDU	Kossuth William Duncan		FPPU	Death	No
19th	Adelaide	26 January 1907	James Zimri Sellar		Labor	Reginald Blundell		Labor	Death	Yes
18th	Murray	23 June 1906	Walter Hughes Duncan		ANL	Hermann Homburg		ANL	Death	Yes
17th	Victoria and Albert	25 June 1904	Andrew Dods Handyside		ANL	William Senior		Labor	Death	No
16th	Wallaroo	22 June 1901	Henry Allerdale Grainger			John Verran		Labor	Resignation
16th	Northern Territory	15 June 1901	Vaiben Louis Solomon			Samuel James Mitchell			Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Gumeracha	8 June 1901	Thomas Playford II			William Jamieson		ANL	Resignation (entered Senate)
16th	Flinders	8 June 1901	Alexander Poynton			William Tennant Mortlock			Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Burra	8 June 1901	Frederick Holder			William Russell			Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Barossa	8 June 1901	John Downer		ANL	E. H. Coombe			Resignation (entered Senate)
16th	North Adelaide	1 June 1901	Paddy Glynn			Hugh Robert Dixson			Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	West Adelaide	1 June 1901	Lee Batchelor		Labor	Francis Bernard Keogh			Resignation (entered HoR)
16th	Northern Territory	20 October 1900	Walter Griffiths			Charles Edward Herbert		ANL	Death
16th	West Adelaide	17 March 1900	Charles Kingston			Bill Denny			Resignation

1890–1899

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
16th	Encounter Bay	29 July 1899	Charles Tucker			Charles Tucker			Unseated
15th	Mount Barker	14 May 1898	John Cockburn			Charles Dumas		ANL	Resignation
15th	East Adelaide	22 January 1898	John McPherson		Labor	James Hutchison		Labor	Death
15th	Albert	31 July 1897	Archibald Peake			Archibald Peake			Unseated
15th	Albert	22 May 1897	George Ash		ANL	Archibald Peake			Death
15th	North Adelaide	22 May 1897	Arthur Harrold		ANL	Paddy Glynn		ANL	Resignation
15th	Stanley	17 October 1896	Peter Paul Gillen			William Patrick Cummins			Death
15th	Gumeracha	10 July 1896	Charles Willcox		ANL	William Richard Randell			Resignation
14th	North Adelaide	8 June 1895	George Charles Hawker			Paddy Glynn		NDL	Death
14th	East Torrens	19 May 1894	Thomas Playford II			David Packham		NDL	Appointment as Agent General
13th	Noarlunga	26 March 1892	Charles Dashwood			William Blacker			Death
13th	East Adelaide	23 January 1892	John Cox Bray			John McPherson		Labor	Resignation
13th	Northern Territory	23 May 1891	Vaiben Louis Solomon			Vaiben Louis Solomon			Resignation
13th	Wallaroo	23 May 1891	David Bews			Richard Hooper		Independent Labor	Death
13th	Wooroora	25 February 1891	Hugh Craine Kelly			Robert Kelly			Death
13th	Yatala	13 August 1890	James Cowan			Richard Butler			Death

1880–1889

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
12th	Stanley	25 June 1889	Edward William Hawker			Peter Paul Gillen			Resignation
12th	Victoria	1 November 1888	Daniel Livingston			John James Osman			Death
12th	Gumeracha	12 May 1888	Robert Dalrymple Ross			Lancelot Stirling			Death
11th	East Adelaide	31 May 1886	George Dutton Green			Theodor Scherk			Resignation
11th	Albert	8 February 1886	Arthur Hardy			Arthur Hardy			Resignation
11th	Sturt	17 July 1885	Thomas King			Samuel Dening Glyde			Resignation
11th	Stanley	15 May 1885	John Miller			John Darling, senior			Resignation
11th	Wallaroo	16 February 1885	Henry Allerdale Grainger			David Bews			Resignation
11th	Albert	5 January 1885	Rudolph Henning			Andrew Dods Handyside			Death
10th	Victoria	15 June 1883	George Charles Hawker			William Whinham			Resignation
10th	Flinders	1 December 1882	Ebenezer Cooke			Patrick Boyce Coglin			Resignation
10th	Sturt	13 November 1882	William Townsend			Thomas King			Resignation
10th	Onkaparinga	15 June 1882	Friedrich Krichauff			Rowland Rees			Resignation
10th	Yatala	6 September 1881	David Murray			Josiah Howell Bagster			Resignation
10th	Yatala	13 July 1881	David Murray			David Murray			Unseated
10th	East Adelaide	17 June 1881	George Fowler			Thomas Johnson			Resignation
9th	Port Adelaide	27 July 1880	William Quin			John Hart Jr.			Resignation
9th	Gumeracha	24 April 1880	Ebenezer Ward			John Rounsevell			Resignation
9th	Noarlunga	6 January 1880	John Carr			John Colton			Resignation

1870–1879

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
9th	North Adelaide	16 December 1878	Neville Blyth			Caleb Peacock			Resignation
	Encounter Bay	10 October 1878	James Boucaut			William West-Erskine			Resignation
	Noarlunga	14 September 1878	John Colton			Thomas Atkinson			Resignation
	Light	12 June 1878	Frank Skeffington Carroll			David Moody			Resignation
8th	Victoria	17 May 1877	John Ingleby			Lavington Glyde			Resignation
	East Torrens	27 March 1877	Edwin Thomas Smith			David Murray			Resignation
	North Adelaide	14 March 1877	Arthur Blyth			Neville Blyth			Accepted office outside parliament
	West Torrens	27 September 1876	Benjamin Taylor			John Mitchell Sinclair			Resignation
	West Adelaide	21 June 1876	William Knox Simms			John Darling Sr.			Resignation
	Barossa	20 May 1876	John Howard Angas			M. P. F. Basedow			Resignation
	Mount Barker	1 May 1876	William West-Erskine						Resignation
	Sturt	14 April 1876	Samuel Way			Thomas King			Resignation
	Wooroora	7 August 1875	James Pearce			John Bosworth			Resignation
	Albert	12 July 1875	Mountifort Conner			William Wigley			Resignation
	Barossa	9 June 1875	Johann Sudholz			John Dunn Jr.			Unseated
	Wallaroo	4 June 1875	Matthew Madge			Robert Dalrymple Ross			Unseated
	Yatala	17 May 1875	Lavington Glyde			Thomas Cowan			Resignation
			Wentworth Cavenagh			Wentworth Cavenagh			Resignation
	Light	17 May 1875	Randolph Isham Stow			Jenkin Coles			Resignation
7th	The Sturt	7 September 1874	John Henry Barrow			William Mair			Death
	Light	18 September 1873	Mountifort Conner			Randolph Isham Stow			Resignation
	Encounter Bay	5 September 1873	Thomas Reynolds			Arthur Fydell Lindsay			Resignation
	Victoria	17 June 1873	Edwin Derrington			Thomas Boothby			Resignation
	Victoria	29 May 1873	John Riddoch			Park Laurie			Resignation
	The Burra	3 April 1873	John Hart			Rowland Rees			Death
	Encounter Bay	29 February 1872	William Everard			William Rogers			Unseated
	Encounter Bay	29 February 1872	Thomas Reynolds			Thomas Reynolds			Unseated
6th	Victoria	24 August 1871	William Paltridge			Neville Blyth			Resignation
	Light	12 August 1871	Edward Hamilton			James White			Resignation
	West Torrens	10 August 1871	Henry Strangways			James Boucaut			Resignation
5th	West Torrens	10 February 1870	George Bean			John Pickering			Declared Vacant
	The Sturt	10 February 1870	Richard Bullock Andrews			Frederick Spicer			Resignation

1857–1869

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Cause
5th	Mount Barker	5 November 1868	John Dunn			William Rogers			Unseated
5th	Mount Barker	3 September 1868	William Rogers			John Dunn			Unseated
5th	Mount Barker	3 September 1868	John Cheriton			John Cheriton			Unseated
4th	The Sturt	14 August 1867	Joseph Peacock			Alexander Murray			Death
4th	East Torrens	22 July 1867	Neville Blyth			Daniel Fisher			Resignation
4th	Gumeracha	15 July 1867	Alexander Borthwick Murray			Alexander Hay			Resignation
4th	Victoria	13 December 1866	Adam Lindsay Gordon			James Umpherston			Resignation
4th	East Torrens	3 December 1866	Charles Goode			Randolph Isham Stow			Resignation
4th	Flinders	20 October 1866	Alfred Watts			Augustine Stow			Resignation
4th	The Burra	15 October 1866	George Cole			Alexander McCulloch			Resignation
4th	Port Adelaide	29 June 1866	John Hart			Jacob Smith			Resignation
4th	Light	27 November 1865	John Rounsevell			John Rounsevell			Unseated
4th	Light	12 October 1865	Francis Dutton			John Rounsevell			Accepted office
3rd	East Adelaide	5 November 1864	William Bakewell			Thomas Reynolds			Resignation
3rd	Mount Barker	8 June 1864	Allan McFarlane			William Rogers			Death
3rd	Barossa	8 June 1864	Joseph Barritt			John Williams			Resignation
2nd	Light	8 May 1862	Francis Dutton			John Rowe			Resignation
2nd	The Burra and Clare	8 May 1862	William Dale			John Bentham Neales			Resignation
2nd	Port Adelaide	8 May 1862	William Owen			John Hart			Resignation
2nd	The Murray	8 May 1862	David Wark			Allan McFarlane			Death
2nd	Gumeracha	8 May 1862	Alexander Hay			Alexander Murray			Resignation
2nd	City of Adelaide	2 May 1862	Thomas Reynolds			Thomas Reynolds			Resignation
2nd	City of Adelaide	9 December 1861	Richard Hanson			James Boucaut			Resignation
2nd	The Burra and Clare	6 May 1861	William Lennon			George Kingston			Insolvent
2nd	West Torrens	30 April 1861	George Morphett			Randolph Isham Stow			Resignation
1st	City of Adelaide	13 May 1859	William Henville Burford			William Owen			Resignation
1st	Port Adelaide	11 October 1858	John Hughes			Edward Collinson			Resignation
1st	Mount Barker	16 September 1858	Friedrich Krichauff			William Rogers			Resignation
1st	City of Adelaide	16 September 1858	Robert Torrens			Judah Solomon			Resignation
1st	The Burra and Clare	9 September 1858	Morris Marks			Edward McEllister			Resignation
1st	Light	9 September 1858	William Maturin			David Shannon			Resignation
1st	East Torrens	6 April 1858	Charles Bonney			John Henry Barrow			Resignation
1st	Light	8 February 1858	Carrington Smedley			William Maturin			Resignation
1st	Encounter Bay	15 January 1858	Benjamin Babbage			Henry Strangways			Resignation
1st	Victoria	5 January 1858	Robert Leake			George Charles Hawker			Resignation
1st	Onkaparinga	23 December 1857	William Dawes			William Townsend			Resignation
1st	East Torrens	6 October 1857	George Waterhouse			Lavington Glyde			Resignation
1st	Yatala	5 June 1857	Charles Simeon Hare			Richard Andrews			Resignation
1st	Barossa	1 June 1857	Horace Dean			William Bakewell			Unseated

See also

• List of South Australian Legislative Council appointments
• List of South Australian Legislative Council by-elections

References

• South Australian By-Elections 1851-2011: ECSA
• History of South Australian Elections 1857-2006 Volume 1: ECSA
• History of South Australian elections, 1857-2006 - by Dean Jaensch - ISBN 978-0-9750486-3-4
• House of Assembly Chronological List of By-elections (from 1993 Statistical Returns, State Electoral Office, p. 178-179)