Dunstan by-election: The Advertiser canvassed views of 150 voters in various suburbs, which revealed result is on knife-edge

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Voters who live in the state’s most marginal seat have spoken as the bitter by-election descends into a war of words in the final week of campaigning.

More than 27,000 residents living in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs will go to the polls this Saturday to choose who will replace former premier Steven Marshall in Dunstan.

Liberal candidate Dr Anna Finizio, 37, is battling to keep her party’s seat against Labor’s nominee Cressida O’Hanlon, 51, after Mr Marshall, 56, quit politics.

Almost 3000 voters have already cast their ballot.

Over the past four days, The Advertiser canvassed views of 150 voters in various suburbs, which revealed the result is on a knife-edge.

Simon and Tammy Kent say they will vote Liberal. Picture: Dean Martin

Voters, who ranged in age from 18 to 85, said their main concerns were cost of living pressures, the housing crisis, ambulance ramping, trucks being diverted from the busy Portrush Road – which cuts through the electorate – and law and order.

The electorate, named after former Labor Premier Don Dunstan, has 20 suburbs bounded from inner city areas such as Hackney, Kent Town and Norwood to outer east locations including Marden, Payneham, Firle and Kensington.

Residents were interviewed at various spots including The Parade, Norwood, Marden, Firle and Marryatville shopping centres, various pubs as well several supermarkets.

The face-face-survey revealed 56 electors would vote Liberal, 39 said they would cast a ballot for Labor while 14 residents were Greens voters.

But another 41 voters, or a quarter of respondents, said they were still “undecided”, suggesting the vote will go down to the wire.

If the survey’s results were replicated across the seat, it would leave the Liberal’s candidate with 37 per cent of the primary vote and in need of other preferences to secure any victory.

Labor voters said they would stick with the state government because Premier Peter Malinauskas needed another term to prove himself, he had introduced positive changes while his party had compassionate policies.

But Liberal voters said ramping had not been solved despite Labor’s 2022 election promise to “fix” the crisis, cost of living pressures were not being addressed and the government needed a reality check.

Former radio presenter Charles Southwood, 72, of Kensington Park, said he was still deciding how he would vote.

But he wished Ms O’Hanlon and Dr Finizio could job share the seat “to look after the affairs of the state”.

“I wish party wasn’t an element,” he said.

“But it is not how politics happens … it’s all about ‘the brand’.”

Mr Southwood, who has met both candidates, described them as “splendid humans”.

Norwood’s Tammy and Simon Kent, both aged in their 50s, said they would vote for Liberal candidate Dr Finizio, a failed candidate for the western suburbs federal of Hindmarsh.

Local Charles Southwood of Kensington Park believes both Labor and Liberal candidates have merit. Picture: Dean Martin

The couple, who moved back to Adelaide from New South Wales at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, said they were disillusioned with the Malinauskas Labor government.

Ms Kent said the health system needed an overhaul, having witnessed the pressure Royal Adelaide Hospital staff faced.

“There was an incident where I had to go to hospital in an ambulance and I was so sorry for the staff. they were under the pump,” she said.

“I was only having stitches but they had to keep running off to attend to other patients – they just didn’t have enough staff.”

Ms Kent said she also felt voters in her electorate had been left out of the loop on what stage plans for a bypass to take heavy trucks off Portrush Rd were at.

Liberal candidate Dr. Anna Finizio. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

“All the trucks are staying on (the road) … tell us why,” she said.

Ms O’Hanlon, a mother of four who was also a failed federal candidate for Sturt, would create political history if she win’s the by-election.

A Labor win next Saturday would be the first time in more than 116 years an SA government candidate has won an opposition seat at a by-election.

Mr Marshall, who served for 14 years after first being elected in 2010, beat Ms O’Hanlon by just 260 votes as Labor’s Peter Malinauskas turfed his Liberal administration from government after one term.

Early voting for the by-election in the Electoral District of Dunstan ahead of polling day on. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Ms O’Hanlon secured a 6.9 per cent swing to Labor, leaving the seat with a 0.5 per cent margin.

Senior Labor officials privately put a “30 per cent chance” on Ms O’Hanlon winning but party operatives believe it could be higher at 40 per cent, in what is being seen as “expectation management”.

Both candidates, whose backgrounds include serving as political advisers, have been embroiled in various controversies over the past month as their parties engaged in a war of words.

On Sunday, Ms O’Hanlon held a rally along with a “cast of thousands” including Premier Peter Malinauskas, his deputy Susan Close, Cabinet ministers, MPs, and other party supporters including failed candidates, staffers and officials.

The Labor candidate’s husband, James, 50, and children, Cy and Phoebe, also appeared at a “campaign blitz” at Kensington’s Borthwick Park before a crowd of more than 200 people.

Mr Malinauskas, who has visited the seat several times in recent days, said voters had a choice while his party had “nothing to lose”.

“So from our perspective, we’ve got a policy … not based on politics but based on the future of our state and we’re keen to execute that,” he said.

Labor candidate Cressida O’Hanlan Early voting for the by-election in the Electoral District of Dunstan ahead of polling day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Liberal leader David Speirs did not appear publicly on Sunday, but party officials insisted he was out in the electorate.

Speaking last week as pre-poll voting opened, Mr Speirs said Labor had “tired and unfulfilling” policies combined with “entitled representation that was failing”.

The district, previously named Norwood, was created at the 2012 boundary redistribution.

Additional reporting: Evangeline Polymeneas, Agnes Gichuhi, Zayda Dollie

Originally published as Dunstan by-election: The Advertiser canvassed views of 150 voters in various suburbs, which revealed result is on knife-edge