Boothby residents give views on the election and their potentially swinging seat

It’s a critical South Australian seat which has not been in Labor hands since 1949. We check out what the locals think about what’s on the table.

It’s a marginal seat so it’s perhaps no surprise people are still waiting to be convinced about who to vote for. This is Boothby, a seat that will garner plenty of attention over the next six weeks. It’s an electorate that stretches from Clarence Park to O’Halloran Hill, from Brighton to Crafers West.

But so far, not many appear to be convinced about the merits of Prime Minister Scott Morrison or Labor challenger Anthony Albanese.

At Mitcham Park, mother of four-year-old twins Ava and Ellie, Petra Holbrook is unsure which way she will vote, although she is “probably more Liberal’’. But she is still to make up her mind.

“I don’t think I like either one – is there another option?’’ she asks with a smile.

The SA Pathology worker lists jobs, the economy and health as issues that could swing her vote.

“I am open to good ideas no matter, where they come from, and that includes independents as well,’’ she said.

Petra Holbrook with her twin daughters Ellie and Ava, 4. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The headline battle for Boothby is between Liberal candidate Rachel Swift and Labor challenger Louise Miller-Frost. It’s a wide-open battle, as sitting MP Nicolle Flint is retiring from federal politics. Boothby is a seat where Labor has often held aspirations, but has never quite managed to win. In 20 elections, going back to 1949, Labor has not won Boothby.

Another in the race is independent Jo Dyer. The former director of Adelaide Writers’ Week rose to wider prominence this year as she stood up as an advocate of her friend Kate who had alleged she had been raped as a teenager by former Attorney-General Christian Porter. Porter strenuously denies the claims and is retiring from parliament at the election.

Mates Tim Prins, Josh Payne and Zach Lunnon at the Edinburgh Hotel in Boothby, after their baseball practice. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

At the Edinburgh Hotel, Josh Payne, Tim Prins and Zach Lunnon are having a post-baseball practice beer and lunch. None is aware of exactly who is standing in Boothby, their attention focused on the bigger national picture.

Payne, a 26-year electrician from Seacliff, is another unsure where his vote will end up. He expresses admiration for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, but not much for his local options. Payne says his decision will come down to the person he feels he can trust the most, although they “are all politicians and I don’t trust any of them’’.

“I think you can be a good Labor candidate or a good Liberal candidate or a good marijuana candidate for all I care, as long as you are a trustworthy person,’’ Payne says.

He nominates housing affordability and cost of living as issues that will also decide his vote.

His friend Tim Prins, a 27-year-old senior systems engineer, is more certain in his choice. Climate change is his worry and he will vote Green.

“In our age group, climate change is important issue and I guess in SA we don’t really hear that much about it,’’ Prins says.

He has been not been impressed by either Morrison or Albanese.

“Albanese is spineless and a bit of a beta male,’’ Prins says. And Morrison? “I think he’s like that person at school that no one likes. He sits in a higher class lifestyle that doesn’t relate to the underdogs, but he pretends to.’’

Boothby voter Henry Quaziz of Oaklands Park, drops a line from Brighton Jetty. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Retiree Henry Quaziz believes more should be done to help those on a pension. The 67-year-old says of the almost $1000 he receives a fortnight from the pension, $560 is used to pay rent on his Housing Trust home. The Oaklands Park resident says he’s inclined to vote Labor, even though he believes the Morrison government handled the Covid pandemic well.

Even so, he says, no matter who wins, he’s not expecting much to change.

“They want you to vote for them, but everything they say it’s all rubbish, they try to bribe people to vote for them, but the promises they make, they don’t keep them.’’

Retiring member for Boothby, Nicolle Flint. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.