Mark Butler in need of a home as Shorten puts women first

Bill Shorten has urged his party to replace Kate Ellis with another woman in the seat of ­Adelaide.

Labor climate change and energy spokesman Mark Butler. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten has urged his party to replace Kate Ellis with another woman in the seat of ­Adelaide, heightening internal ­unrest in South Australia as Labor powerbroker Mark Butler considers “all options” in his search for a new parliamentary home.

The Australian Electoral Commission yesterday upheld its draft decision in April to undertake a radical redraw of federal electoral boundaries that will see Mr Butler’s safe seat of Port Adelaide abolished.

A reduction in the number of South Australian seats from 11 to 10 comes in a redistribution forced by the state’s slow population growth. It caps off a bad month for Mr Butler, a left faction power­broker who lost the ALP ­national presidency to former treasurer Wayne Swan.

The political survival of Mr Butler, Labor’s climate change and energy spokesman, will see much factional manoeuvring within the state branch of the ALP ahead of the next federal election.

The most likely scenario was that Mr Butler would take neighbouring Hindmarsh from his factional colleague Steve Georganas. This raised questions about the ­future of Mr Georganas, who held Hindmarsh from 2004 until 2013 and was returned in 2016.

The right faction has insisted that Mr Georganas would not move to its seat of Adelaide, where Ms Ellis is retiring, in return for the left’s vacant second Senate spot.

Yesterday, senior Labor sources said Mr Shorten had made it clear he expected another woman to be preselected in Adelaide. Former Julia Gillard adviser Marielle Smith and former state candidate Jo Chapley are in the mix.

The Opposition Leader did not comment yesterday, but last year in Adelaide said he hoped “the Labor Party in South Australia sends us another talented woman” to replace Ms Ellis.

“I am very pleased with the fact that we have 45 per cent of our caucus who are women,” Mr Shorten said. “I am ambitious for this party to ensure equal representation for women and I hope that the South Australian Labor Party sends us a woman candidate, but that will ultimately be a matter for the South Australian branch and the rank and file of the Adelaide electorate.”

A senior Labor figure yesterday told The Australian negotiations would likely see Mr Butler take Hindmarsh and Mr Georganas move into the Senate.

They said the left faction should not come to the right to resolve its internal problems. “They (left) should not look to the right to resolve their issues around affirmative action either,” the figure said. “Adelaide will have a female candidate.”

South Australian Labor Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said Mr Butler was an “extraordinary talent” who deserved to ­remain in parliament. “We have a united party that will work through the issues … to make sure we get a good outcome,” he said.

The redistribution will turn Hindmarsh into a safe Labor seat.

Mr Butler said he would “look at all my options”, while Mr Georganas said he too would “explore all available options”.