South Australian Election Brief
The South Australian state election will be held on Saturday 21 March. All 47 seats in the House of Assembly will be up for election, along with 11 of the 22 seats in the Legislative Council.
The Assembly and the Council
In South Australia Members of the Assembly are elected to four-year terms. Council members are elected to eight-year terms, and elected by proportional representation, similar to the Federal Senate.
House of Assembly Overview (current status)
| Total seats | Majority required | ALP Seats | Coalition (Liberal/National) Seats | Crossbench Seats |
| 47 | 24 | 29 | 13 | 4 |
*1 seat currently vacant
Legislative Council Overview
| Total Seats | Seats up for Election | ALP Seats | Coalition (LNP) Seats | Crossbench Seats |
| 22 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
| Seats up for Election | ||||
| ALP | Liberal | SA Best | Better Community | Independent |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Changes to Electoral Boundaries
As required under the South Australian Constitution, the South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission must re-draw the boundaries of the House of Assembly electoral districts after each election. The Commission’s report was handed down in December 2024, and as a result changes were made to 16 of the 47 districts. The Commission has also decided to rename the electoral district of Frome as the electoral district of Ngadjuri.
Key Election Dates
| 21 February | Writ issued |
| 23 February | Nominations open |
| 27 February | Close of roll |
| 2 March 3pm | HA nominations declared |
| 2 March 5pm | LC nominations declared |
| 10 March | Remote polling starts |
| 13 March | Out of state postal voting applications close |
| 14 March | Early voting opens |
| 17 March | Inside state postal voting applications close |
| 21 March | Polling day |
Leaders
The Hon. Peter Malinuaskas MP
Premier of South Australia, Leader of the Labor Party – Electorate – Croydon
Malinauskas was born in Adelaide to parents of Hungarian and Lithuanian descent. Following Barnard Finnigan’s resignation, Malinauskas joined the Legislative Council, before winning the seat of Croydon at the 2018 election. He was then elected leader of the opposition in 2018, before winning the 2022 election.
Ashton Hurn MP
Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Liberal Party – Electorate – Schubert
Hurn grew up in Angaston, the daughter of a farmer. Hurn successfully stood for the seat at the 2022 state election, following Stephan Knoll’s retirement. She is the second woman to hold the position of Opposition Leader.
Cory Bernardi
Leader of One Nation South Australia- Legislative Council
Bernardi was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 2006 to 2020, and was the leader of the Australian Conservatives, a minor political party he founded in 2017 but disbanded in 2019. He is a former member of the Liberal Party of Australia, having represented the party in the Senate from 2006 to 2017. Bernardi will lead One Nation’s Legislative Council ticket at the upcoming state election in South Australia.
Polling has shown the possibility of One Nation winning seats, with seats likely in the Upper House but also potentially in the Lower House.
Councillor’s up for Election in 2026
| Party | Councillor |
| ALP | Emily Bourke Mira El Dannawi Justin Hanson Clare Scriven |
| Coalition | Ben Hood Heidi Girolamo Terry Stephens Frank Pangallo |
| SA Best | Connie Bonaros |
| Independent | Tammy Franks |
| Better Community | Jing Lee |
Marginal Seats by Party (<6% Margin)
ALP
| Seat | Margin |
| Dunstan | 0.8% |
| Gibson | 2.5% |
| Davenport | 3.4% |
| King | 4% |
| Waite | 4% |
| Newland | 5.4% |
| Elder | 5.6% |
Coalition
| Seat | Margin |
| Finniss | 0.7% |
| Morialta | 1.4% |
| Unley | 2.2% |
| Heysen | 2.6% |
| Ngadjuri | 3.2% |
| Kavel | 3.5% |
| Hartley | 3.6% |
| Morphett | 4.5% |
| Colton | 4.8% |
| Hammond | 5.1% |
Further Information
For more information, please contact Hawker Britton’s Partner and CEO Simon Banks on +61 419 638 587.
Additional Occasional Papers published by Hawker Britton are available here.