SA election seat profile: Heysen in Adelaide Hills will have its first new MP since 2002

WITH former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond bowing out, the Hills seat of Heysen will have its first new MP since 2002. Political reporter Lauren Novak takes a closer look.

Organic Market & Cafe at Stirling owner Grahame Murray with staff member Emily Banks. Picture: Calum Robertson

• More electorate profiles:

• Hartley
• Giles
• Mt Gambier

IT HAS to be one of the most leafy-green electorates in the state, but after March 17 will it be red, blue, green or orange?

The Adelaide Hills seat of Heysen is losing its local MP, former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond, who will retire at the state election.

Vying to replace her are candidates across the political colour wheel from the Liberals, Labor, SA Best and the Greens.

Whoever is successful will have to address locals’ concerns about employment, rising business costs, public transport, phone and internet coverage and the environment.

Grahame Murray has run the Organic Market and Café in Stirling for 30 years and has lived in the area since 1980.

“I would like to think that all the political parties would be looking at small business and saying ‘how can we help them?’,” the 72-year-old says.

“Everyone’s feeling the pinch.

“I want to see action, not just talking about things.”

Mr Murray says it will be important for candidates to provide employment opportunities for locals and ways to cut business costs.

“The State Government has helped us with reduction of payroll tax. Those little things help,” he says.

“Power prices are an issue, but ours haven’t gone up as much as a lot of others appear to have. Maybe we’re just being more economical, as we’re a business that is focused on sustainability.

“In the Hills, people have certainly embraced renew­ables.

“I think they’re embracing them right across the country.”

The Adelaide Hills electorate of Heysen. Picture: Electoral Commission SA

Also among the electorate’s 35,000-odd voters, including 9900-plus families, is builder and developer Phil Richards, who lives in Strathalbyn. The 71-year-old long-time local has been tied up in an argument over approval for a $150 million development he wants to build, featuring a medical centre, aged-care home, childcare centre and supermarket.

He needs ministerial and council approval to rezone the area, but isn’t expecting a resolution before the election.

“We’ve got no infrastructure, we’ve got to be able to provide some services,” he says.

“We’re screaming for an aged-care centre.

“We’ve got 2.7 per cent population growth ... we’re growing at a rate that there needs to be some proper planning. It needs to be balanced growth.”

Mr Richards is also concerned about employment opportunities for young locals.

“I get four kids a week ­coming to me looking for work,” he says.

“We’ve got to get some employment in our town for our youngsters ... and keep our dollar in our town.”

Federally, the area is represented by the Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie, who beat Liberal Jamie Briggs in the traditionally conservative-voting Hills.

At the state level, candidate John Illingworth says SA Best has committed funding to fix mobile phone black spots and boost public transport options.

“Black spots pose a real risk in bushfire-prone areas or on high crash-risk roads such as Long Valley Rd between Wistow and Strathalbyn,” he says.

Liberal Josh Teague says his party would build a new nursing home at Strathalbyn and has a policy to redirect heavy trucks and freight trains from the Hills.

Mr Teague lists transport and communications infrastructure, health and aged-care services and employment as the most common issues raised with him while doorknocking locals.

Labor’s Tony Webb is focused on improving reliable energy supply and renewable options, as well as bringing down costs.

He is particularly interested in exploring “bulk buying schemes to assist residents to install or upgrade their solar-based household systems”.

Illingworth could mirror Sharkie’s success

Analysis - Lauren Novak

THERE’S a chance Heysen could be glowing orange after polling day.

The results of the federal election showed conservative voters were willing to switch their support from the federal Liberal incumbent, Jamie Briggs, to a relative unknown in NXT’s Rebekha Sharkie.

The fact the state Liberals are losing Isobel Redmond’s well-known name and face from the area won’t help.

Policeman John Illingworth is a solid choice for Nick Xenophon’s burgeoning SA Best party in territory where Labor is unlikely to pick up a strong following – even if its renewable energy plans resonate well here.