Seat profile: Hartley in Adelaide’s east is a three-corner race that will decide if SA Best Leader Nick Xenophon gets back in SA politics
HARTLEY in Adelaide’s east may be the most intriguing seat of the state election, so what better place to start our exploration of the key battlegrounds.
SA 2018
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JUST a short drive east of the CBD is a pocket of Adelaide that can often feel like a different country. Just on the edge of Paradise, is the state electorate of Hartley.
Sprinkled throughout is just about every nationality on Earth. Almost 40 per cent of the households speak a language other than English – double the state average.
Italians make up 16 per cent of the voters, and two of the candidates. There’s also large numbers of UK migrants, Chinese and Indians. SA Best Leader Nick Xenophon is one of a smaller subset of Greeks in the seat, which he must win to secure a return to State Parliament.
When votes start rolling on election night, all eyes will be on this eclectic clutch of suburbs.
A series of published polls have Mr Xenophon starting as favourite but experienced Hartley watchers caution against taking traditional phone polls in the seat too seriously, given the difficulty of reaching voters who don’t have English as their first language.
Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia captured Hartley in 2014, and says he has hasn’t stopped campaigning since. The grandson of Italian migrants says being a fluent speaker helps in corners of the electorate, but he often gets the same message, regardless of language.
“Cost of living, jobs and services are extremely important and they’re certainly raised at the doorstep,” he said during a brief stop this week while doorknocking in near 40C heat.
“This morning, when I was out knocking on doors, by far energy costs and the cost of living was the top issue being raised. “There’s ESL, council rates and hip pocket issues.”
But the parties are also focusing on issues with particular resonance for their corner of the world.
The Liberals have promised to build a new Park ‘n’ Ride facility at Paradise interchange to make it easier to access bus services on the O-Bahn. The Campbelltown City Soccer Club has promises from both big parties for upgraded facilities, and cash is being pledged for road trouble spots including intersections at Silkes Rd and Graves St.
Former Labor minister Grace Portolesi has also thrown her hat back into the Hartley ring, and says memories of her battles over everything from to keeping the Italian consulate in Adelaide and stopping plans for fortnightly rubbish collection still resonate strongly.
She slaps aside claims this is a two-horse race, saying Labor is firmly “in it to win”.
Also a fluent Italian speaker, and the daughter of migrants, Ms Portolesi says this campaign is “very different”, and her ability to deliver outcomes in government hasn’t been forgotten.
Mr Xenophon says he is taking nothing for granted, and admits he’s got a tough task ahead to win Hartley. He’s lived there for years, but knows he has a lot of work to do in the door-to-door battle to secure a win.
“I’m expecting the combination of a preference deal (between the major parties) and an all-out onslaught in the campaign,” Mr Xenophon said. “It’s going to be a hell of a contest. But I know my patch.”
Campbelltown City Soccer Club chairman Don Leombruno says the community is loving the attention it gets from being at the centre of a marginal seat.
He looks forward to an upgraded pitch and changerooms, as long as whoever ends up as the government keeps their word. He says the club is about much more than just giving people a place to “kick a ball” around and keep fit. On the occasions that they do talk politics, health and power prices are issues most often raised.
“We’ve got generations of people that have been there over 50 years,” he said.
“We’ve got their children and grandchildren now involved. “Schools in the area could use an artificial pitch and we can open it up for that, too, it wouldn’t be just for us to use.
“The social side for us is huge. We have game nights where people can’t play because of the weather. Also friends come in for a pizza or whatever and just enjoy the night.
“It’s always those key points that people talk about, like health or electricity.
“There’s a couple of commitments for roads ... and that’s probably long overdue and a great thing.”
ALP COULD BE NICK’S SAVING GRACE
IN an election that is the most unpredictable and fascinating in living memory, this is the seat that will get more attention than any other.
SA Best Leader Nick Xenophon’s entire assault on the two major parties hinges on his ability to win this seat, and he’s far from a certainty to get it all together on the night. Most polls show Liberal incumbent Vincent Tarzia leading on primary votes, with Mr Xenophon not far behind and Labor’s Grace Portolesi a fair way back.
But her preferences could be enough to catapault Mr Xenophon over the top.
Both Mr Tarzia and Ms Portolesi have tight local links and insight into the key issues, having each held the seat, and hope that will give them a major advantage over Mr Xenophon as he’s torn between the twin demands of trying to win a local contest and statewide campaign.
While major party sources say such a move is unlikely, there is persistent speculation they will do a preference deal to freeze him out. Liberals especially are pouring huge resources into the seat, hoping that destabilising Mr Xenophon at home could bring his party crashing down as voters start to wonder what comes of SA Best if their leader is lost.
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