Labor factions negotiate agreement to keep Mark Butler in parliament

By Rebecca Puddy, Casey Briggs and Leah MacLennan

Update

July 18, 2018 11:33:04

Labor MP Mark Butler apparently saved his position by negotiating an agreement to go to the nearby Hindmarsh headquarters.

Last month, the Australian Electoral Commission abandoned its headquarters in Port Adelaide, potentially triggering a preselection.

Now, Butler – a left-wing loyalist Labor Party – has negotiated an agreement to move to the Hindmarsh headquarters, currently owned by Steve Georganas.

In a statement, Mr. Georganas confirmed that he would propose the Adelaide HQ, owned by Kate Ellis who is retiring in the upcoming elections.

"As a lifetime resident of Mile End, now at Adelaide Headquarters following the recent redistribution of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), I will seek the pre-selection of Adelaide's seat", said Georganas. "The redistribution that was finalized last month, divided the old Hindmarsh headquarters between Boothby, Adelaide and Port Adelaide. Adelaide has absorbed much of my local community in the western suburbs.

" I am very pleased to My friend and colleague, Mark Butler, will be appointed by the same ALP processes for the new Hindmarsh headquarters – a seat that Mark now lives by following the same AEC redistribution. "

Last year, Mrs. Ellis announced that she would not be returning to her seat in the next election on family grounds.

Game of "musical chairs"

The state ALP executive met on Wednesday morning to confirm the arrangement, in an agreement that would see the right faction of the party sacrificing the siege of Adelaide

The Agreement – which has been compared by some political commentators to a game of musical chairs – will see Mr. Butler named for the seat from the western suburb of Hindmarsh, which is currently held by Labor with a margin of 0.6.

After the redistribution, the seat will become a safe ground with a margin of 8.2%

Yesterday, Mr. Butler confirmed his intention to appoint Hindmarsh, but refused to go into the details of this that the left faction of the party had provided to seal

He said that the Labor Party SA had "a very mature and sensible approach to work through these things".

"I am now the only MP who actually lives in the new Hindmarsh borders", Mr Butler

The Australian Electoral Commission l Last month announced that it would absorb Port Adelaide in nearby constituencies through to a major redistribution caused by the decline of the population in South Australia.

Topics:

Government and politics,

Australia,

her,

adelaide-5000

Published

July 18, 2018 11:23:38