THE POLL BLUDGER
South Australian House of Assembly Election 2006

ELDER
Labor 3.6%

Elder consists of a rectagonal block of suburbs located directly south of the city, from Morphettville in the west to northern Pasadena in the east. It was notionally a Labor seat when it was created in 1993, but not sufficiently safe to hold back the tide at that year's election. David Wade lost the seat after one term as Liberal member in 1997 despite a relatively modest 6.1 per cent swing, and Labor only slightly consolidated their hold in 2002. This might be seen to reflect a long-term trend toward the Liberals due to growing gentrification.

Labor member Patrick Conlon (right) is a former organiser for the Left faction Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, and was described by a Crikey correspondent in 2003 as the faction's "chief head-kicker". After the 2002 election Conlon was the Left's preferred candidate for the deputy leadership which had been vacated by Annette Hurley's failure to win Light. It instead went to Kevin Foley of the Right who, despite factional differences, is said by Greg Kelton of The Advertiser to work so closely with Conlon that they are collectively known as "Fonlon". Conlon became Police and Emergency Services Minister, but his position within the faction was weakened by his role in recruiting independent Mount Gambier MP Rory McEwen to cabinet in November 2002. This angered ambitious junior ministers including the Left's rising star, Cheltenham MP Jay Weatherill.

Conlon's move from police to infrastructure in the May 2003 reshuffle was seen as a step down, and the failure of his subsequent effort to manoeuvre into a Senate seat led to his departure from the faction. The plan had been thwarted by the machinations of federal Left godfather Senator Nick Bolkus, who waited until an affirmative action dispute was resolved in his favour before announcing his retirement and ushering Anne McEwen of the Australian Services Union in his place.

Liberal candidate Heidi Greaves (left) is a public servant and Onkaparinga councillor.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain

Labor's best results came in the formerly marginal Adelaide seats that kept the Liberals in power between 1993 and 2002, the 11.3 per cent two-party swing in Elder being a case in point. Patrick Conlon was up 11.6 per cent on the primary vote and polled more than 50 per cent in all booths.

OUTCOME: Labor retain (14.9%)