Federal election 2019 results: Hindmarsh electorate | Labor veteran Butler wins new seat

Senior Labor figure Mark Butler’s plan to swap seats from the now-abolished Port Adelaide to Hindmarsh went off without a hitch.

Labor’s Mark Butler is the new Member for Hindmarsh after the Port Adelaide seat was abolished.

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He admitted to feeling nervous earlier in the day, but senior Labor MP Mark Butler had nothing to fear in his switch to the seat of Hindmarsh.

Mr Butler, who is Labor’s energy spokesman, had gathered around 57 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote on Saturday night, comfortably leading Liberal candidate Jake Hall-Evans.

Mr Butler replaced Steve Georganas as the candidate for Hindmarsh, with the incumbent heading to the seat of Adelaide.

Despite looking like a comfortable victor, Mr Butler said he was always “nervous’’ on election day.

“The electorate is 60,000 old voters and 60,000 new so it’s been a lot of work. In a sense, the new seat has more of a coherence to it because it’s all the western suburbs … instead of half the northern suburbs,” he said.

Before the results rolled in last night, Mr Butler said he believed climate change had been the defining issue of the campaign.

“I think our anecdotal feedback but also research has shown that over the course of the campaign it has moved further up the list so it is either at the top or number two on the list of concerns that people across the country … are focusing on,” Mr Butler said.

“The government and parts of the media have tried to present this as a choice — you either are interested in climate change or you’re interested in good economic growth. I think people, broadly, see through that.”

FEDERAL

2019

Adelaide

Barker

Boothby

Grey

Hindmarsh

Kingston

Makin

Mayo

Spence

Sturt

Hindmarsh Liberal candidate Jake Hall-Evans said he felt like his team had “run a great campaign’’.

“We had a strong ground game,’’ he said.

While Mr Butler claimed climate change was the defining issue, Mr Hall-Evans said Labor’s plan to eliminate franking credits had worried many voters as had health policy and the future of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

He said he was hopeful of gaining ground from the ALP so the western suburbs would receive more attention from both parties.

Having conceded he was unlikely to win, Mr Hall-Evans was instead hopeful of gaining ground from the ALP so the western suburbs would receive more attention from both major parties.

“I think the important thing in this election has been to provide people with choice,” Mr Hall-Evans said.

“I’ve worked hard and I’m proud that I have run a good ground game. Obviously I went in with a pretty formidable opponent but I’m hoping we see some reward for the effort put in.”