SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ELECTION 2010

WEST TORRENS Labor 18.4%
Region: Western Suburbs Federal divisions: Hindmarsh/Adelaide
	TIM WHITE Greens KON BRIGGS Save RAH TOM KOUTSANTONIS Labor (top) JASSMINE WOOD Liberal (bottom) DAVID BEATTIE Family First
Electoral District Boundaries Commission map

Known as Peake prior to the 2002 election, West Torrens takes in Adelaide Airport and surrounding suburbs, including the Liberal-leaning coastal suburb of West Beach, plus a north-eastern appendix abutting the city centre at Thebarton and Mile End. It has not been affected by the redistribution. Peake was won by Labor at every election from its creation in 1970 barring the Liberal landslide of 1993, when it fell to Heini Becker (previously the member for Ashford) who retired after one term. Twenty-six year old Tom Koutsantonis recovered the seat for Labor at the 1997 election with a 12.0 per cent swing, and picked up a further 4.1 per cent in 2002 and 9.4 per cent in 2006.

Koutsantonis is the state convenor of the Labor Unity (Right) faction, was previously an industrial officer with the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union, and reportedly has close links to powerbroker Michael Atkinson. There were reports in June 2008 he might shortly be admitted to cabinet at the expense of factional colleague Carmel Zollo, but the status quo was contentiously maintained at the ensuing reshuffle. It was suggested Rann had retained Zollo despite the latter's own wish to go to the back bench because he wished to keep Koutsantonis out. In March 2009, Rann was (to use a formulation much beloved by journalists) forced to deny claims he had said Koutsantonis would be in cabinet “over my dead body”. Koutsantonis was in fact admitted in the reshuffle that followed shortly after, assuming the correctional services, road safety, gambling, volunteers and youth portfolios. He was forced to relinquish road safety after a month in the job when a leak to the Sunday Mail newspaper, presumably from enemies within, revealed he had been fined 30 times for traffic offences over the previous 15 years. A number of his fines had not been paid by the due date, and he had lost his licence at one point. Michael Owen of The Australian reported that many of the infringements were “racked up by family members driving one of three cars registered in his name, but to the address of his elderly parents”, noting he “would not want to shame his parents and family by blaming them”.

PREDICTION: Labor retain