Results of the 2018 South Australian state election (Legislative Council)

{{short description|none}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Use Australian English|date=May 2023}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 2018 South Australian state election (Legislative Council)

| country = South Australia

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| election_date = 17 March 2018

| previous_election = Results of the 2014 South Australian state election (Legislative Council)

| previous_year = 2014

| next_election = Results of the 2022 South Australian state election (Legislative Council)

| next_year = 2022

| seats_for_election = 11 of the 22 seats in the Legislative Council

| majority_seats = 11

| image1 = 130x130px

| leader1 = Rob Lucas

| party1 = Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division)

| seats_before1 = 8

| seats1 = 5{{efn|name=hood|Including Dennis Hood, who defected to the Liberals from the Conservatives nine days after the election (and thus well before the first sitting of Parliament).}}

| seats_after1 = 9{{efn|name=hood}}

| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 1

| popular_vote1 = 338,700

| percentage1 = 32.23%

| swing1 = {{decrease}} 3.76pp

| image2 = 130x130px

| leader2 = Kyam Maher

| party2 = Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch)

| seats_before2 = 8

| seats2 = 4

| seats_after2 = 8

| seat_change2 = {{steady}}

| popular_vote2 = 304,229

| percentage2 = 28.95%

| swing2 = {{decrease}} 2.01pp

| image3 = {{Election image filler|SA-Best|SAB|130x130px}}

| leader3 = None

| party3 = SA-Best

| seats_before3 = 0

| seats3 = 2

| seats_after3 = 2

| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 2

| popular_vote3 = 203,364

| percentage3 = 19.35%

| swing3 = {{increase}} 6.46pp

| image4 = 130x130px

| leader4 = Mark Parnell

| party4 = Greens South Australia

| seats_before4 = 2

| seats4 = 1

| seats_after4 = 2

| seat_change4 = {{steady}}

| popular_vote4 = 61,610

| percentage4 = 5.86%

| swing4 = {{decrease}} 0.59pp

| image5 = {{Election image filler|Advance SA|ASA|150x150px}}

| leader5 = John Darley

| party5 = Advance SA

| seats_before5 = 1

| seats5 = 0

| seats_after5 = 1

| seat_change5 = {{steady}}

| popular_vote5 = 4,227

| percentage5 = 0.40%

| swing5 = {{increase}} 0.40pp

| image6 = 130x130px

| leader6 = Kelly Vincent

| party6 = Dignity Party (South Australia)

| seats_before6 = 1

| seats6 = 0

| seats_after6 = 0

| seat_change6 = {{decrease}} 1

| popular_vote6 = 20,337

| percentage6 = 1.94%

| swing6 = {{increase}} 1.01pp

}}

This is a list of results for the Legislative Council at the 2018 South Australian state election.

The 11 of 22 seats up for election were 4 Liberal, 4 Labor, 1 Green, 1 Conservative and 1 Dignity. The outcome was 4 Liberal, 4 Labor, 2 SA Best and 1 Green.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-04/final-results-of-the-2018-south-australian-election/9612312 Final Results of the 2018 South Australian Election: Antony Green 4 April 2018]{{Cite web |date=2018-04-23 |title=2018 Legislative Council election results |url=https://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/elections/2018-legislative-council-election-results |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424112428/https://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/elections/2018-legislative-council-election-results |archive-date=2018-04-24 |website=Electoral Commission SA}}[https://www.pollbludger.net/2018/03/18/third-time-lucky-2/ Third time lucky: The Poll Bludger 18 March 2018] Carrying over from the 2014 election were 4 Liberal, 4 Labor, 1 Green, 1 Advance SA, and 1 Conservative; although the Conservative, Dennis Hood, defected to the Liberals nine days after the 2018 state election.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-26/australian-conservatives-mp-dennis-hood-joins-liberals/9586822 Dennis Hood dumps Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to join SA Liberals: ABC 26 March 2017][https://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2018/03/20/didnt-realise-power-family-first-fallen-conservative-rues-botched-re-branding/ "We didn’t realise the power of Family First": Fallen Conservative rues botched re-branding: InDaily 20 March 2018]

So from 2018 to 2020, the 22 seat upper house composition was 9 Liberal on the government benches, 8 Labor on the opposition benches, and 5 to minor parties on the crossbench, consisting of 2 SA Best, 2 Greens, and 1 Advance SA. The government therefore required at least three additional non-government members to form a majority and carry votes on the floor.[https://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2018/04/23/theyre-dickheads-darley/ "They're dickheads": Darley kills off power-sharing deal with X-colleagues: InDaily 23 April 2018]

In 2020, John Dawkins was expelled from the Liberal Party for breaking party rules by nominating himself for President of the Legislative Council.{{cite news |title=SA Liberal John Dawkins wins presidency then booted from party hours after vote |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-08/new-speaker-and-president-vote-for-sa-parliament/12639696 |access-date=2020-09-08 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2020-09-08}} The 22 seat upper house composition before the 2022 election was therefore 8 Liberal, 8 Labor, 2 SA Best, 2 Greens, 1 Advance SA, and 1 independent.