1985 South Australian state election

Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of South Australia were held in South Australia on 7 December 1985, which saw John Bannon and the Australian Labor Party win a second successive term, against the Liberal Party of Australia opposition led by John Olsen.

Labor won the election with an increased majority–at the time, the biggest majority it had held since the end of the Playmander, a record that would stand until 2006. The Liberal Party retained John Olsen as leader, partly because his main rival Dean Brown lost his seat to Independent Liberal Stan Evans. Evans rejoined the Liberal Party soon after the election.

In the South Australian Legislative Council, Labor won one seat from the Liberals, while the Democrats maintained their 2 seats. This shift gave the Australian Democrats sole balance of power. They would continue to hold it until the 1997 election.

• Issue of writ: 10 November 1985
• Close of nominations: 22 November 1985
• Polling day: 7 December 1985
• Return of writ: On or before 2 January 1986

{{Australian elections/Title row

| title = South Australian state election, 7 December 1985{{cite web|title=Details of SA 1985 Election|url=http://elections.uwa.edu.au/elecdetail.lasso?keyvalue=839|publisher=Australian Politics and Elections Database}}

| house = House of Assembly

| series = South Australian state election

| back = 1982

| forward = 1989

| enrolled = 905,507

| total_votes = 846,289

| turnout % = 93.46

| turnout chg = +0.28

| informal = 29,401

| informal % = 3.47

| informal chg = –2.31

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|government = yes

|party_id = Labor SA

|votes = 393,652

|votes % = 48.19

|votes chg = +1.91

|seats = 27

|seats chg = + 4

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Liberal SA

|votes = 344,337

|votes % = 42.15

|votes chg = –0.52

|seats = 16

|seats chg = – 5

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Democrats

|votes = 34,732

|votes % = 4.25

|votes chg = –2.87

|seats = 0

|seats chg = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Nationals SA

|votes = 14,056

|votes % = 1.72

|votes chg = –0.60

|seats = 1

|seats chg = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Independent Labor SA

|votes = 18,641

|votes % = 2.28

|votes chg = *

|seats = 2

|seats chg = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Independent

|votes = 5,368

|votes % = 0.66

|votes chg = –0.94

|seats = 0

|seats chg = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Independent Liberal SA

|votes = 5,224

|votes % = 0.64

|votes chg = *

|seats = 1

|seats chg = + 1

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Other

|votes = 878

|votes % = 0.11

|votes chg = *

|seats = 0

|seats chg = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Total row |

|total_votes = 816,888

|total_seats = 47

}}

{{Australian elections/2PP summary |

|party id 1 = Labor SA

|2pp votes 1 = 434,325

|2pp % 1 = 53.17

|2pp chg 1 = +2.23

|party id 2 = Liberal SA

|2pp votes 2 = 382,563

|2pp % 2 = 46.83

|2pp chg 2 = –2.23

}}

|}

{{ bar box | title=Popular vote | titlebar=#ddd | width=600px | barwidth=410px | bars=

{{ bar percent | Labor | {{party color|Australian Labor Party}} |48.19}}

{{ bar percent | Liberal | {{party color|Liberal Party of Australia}} |42.15}}

{{ bar percent | Democrats | {{party color|Australian Democrats}} |4.25}}

{{ bar percent | Independents | {{party color|Independent}} |3.58}}

{{ bar percent | National | {{party color|National Party of Australia}} |1.72}}

{{ bar percent | Others | #777777 |0.11}}

}}

{{ bar box | title=Two-party-preferred vote | titlebar=#ddd | width=600px | barwidth=410px | bars=

{{ bar percent | Labor | {{party color|Australian Labor Party}} |53.17}}

{{ bar percent | Liberal | {{party color|Liberal Party of Australia}} |46.83}}

}}

{{ bar box | title=Seats | titlebar=#ddd | width=600px | barwidth=410px | bars=

{{ bar percent | Labor | {{party color|Australian Labor Party}} |57.45}}

{{ bar percent | Liberal | {{party color|Liberal Party of Australia}} |34.04}}

{{ bar percent | Independents | {{party color|Independent}} |6.38}}

{{ bar percent | National | {{party color|National Party of Australia}} |2.13}}

}}

{{Australian elections/Title row

| title = South Australian state election, 7 December 1985{{cite web|title=History of South Australian elections 1857–2006, volume 2 Legislative Council|url=http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?view=document&id=483|website=ECSA|access-date=22 May 2016|archive-date=8 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308203512/http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?view=document&id=483|url-status=dead}}

| house = Legislative Council

| series = South Australian state election

| back = 1982

| forward = 1989

| staggered = yes

| enrolled = 905,507

| total_votes = 846,250

| turnout % = 93.46

| turnout chg = +0.67

| informal = 31,312

| informal % = 3.70

| informal chg = –6.37

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Labor SA

|votes = 391,076

|votes % = 47.99

|votes chg = +0.40

|seats = 5

|seats held = 10

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Liberal SA

|votes = 320,055

|votes % = 39.27

|votes chg = –2.15

|seats = 5

|seats held = 10

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Democrats

|votes = 44,988

|votes % = 5.52

|votes chg = –0.04

|seats = 1

|seats held = 2

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Call to Australia

|votes = 24,666

|votes % = 3.03

|votes chg = +3.03

|seats = 0

|seats held = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Nationals SA

|votes = 13,276

|votes % = 1.63

|votes chg = –0.37

|seats = 0

|seats held = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party_id = Nuclear Disarmament

|votes = 12,098

|votes % = 1.48

|votes chg = +1.48

|seats = 0

|seats held = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Party summary|

|party = Other

|votes = 8,779

|votes % = 1.08

|votes chg = *

|seats = 0

|seats held = 0

}}

{{Australian elections/Total row |

|total_votes = 814,938

|total_seats = 11

|total_held = 22

}}

|}

• In addition, Independent MP for Elizabeth, Martyn Evans retained his seat after winning it from Labor at the 1984 by-election.
• Sitting Liberal MP for Fisher, Stan Evans quit the party and contested Davenport as an Independent, and won.

• Sitting Labor MP for Newland, John Klunder instead contested Todd, and won.
• Sitting Liberal MP for Todd, Scott Ashenden instead contested Newland, and lost.

{{For|previous pendulums and maps|List of elections in South Australia}}

{{Clear}}

• Candidates of the South Australian state election, 1985
• Results of the South Australian state election, 1985 (House of Assembly)
• Results of the 1985 South Australian state election (Legislative Council)
• Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1985-1989
• Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1985-1989

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140302093736/http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?view=document&id=480 History of South Australian elections 1857–2006, volume 1: ECSA]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/sa/2006/guide/pastelec.htm Historical lower house results]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/sa/2006/guide/lchistory.htm Historical upper house results]
• [http://elections.uwa.edu.au/ State and federal election results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118085343/http://elections.uwa.edu.au/ |date=18 January 2015 }} in Australia since 1890

• [http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bp/1990/90bp24.pdf South Australian Elections 1989: Parliament of Australia Research Library paper, including maps effective from 1983]

{{South Australian elections}}

Category:Elections in South Australia

South Australian state election

State election, 1985

South Australian state election