Electoral district of Kavel

Kavel, created in 1969 and coming into effect in 1970, is an electorate for the South Australian Legislative Assembly in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. The main population centres of the electorate include Balhannah, Gumeracha, Lobethal, Mount Barker and Nairne. Amongst others, previously abolished seats include Gumeracha and Mount Barker.

Kavel is named after Lutheran pastor August Kavel who migrated to South Australia from Germany in 1838 (two years after the colony was founded) with approximately 250 people seeking freedom from religious persecution. They and later German immigrants and their descendants have made a significant contribution to South Australia's development and culture.

Kavel has been held by the Liberal Party of Australia (and its predecessor, the Liberal and Country League) for its entire existence. Like most seats in the Adelaide Hills, it has usually been reasonably safe for that party. It has been held by only three members. The first member, Roger Goldsworthy, served as Deputy Premier of South Australia from 1979 to 1982 under David Tonkin. Goldsworthy retired in 1992 to allow former state Liberal leader John Olsen to transfer from the Australian Senate back to state politics. Olsen went on to become Premier of South Australia after a 1997 party-room coup against Premier Dean Brown. He was forced to retire from politics after being caught misleading the legislature, and was succeeded by Mark Goldsworthy, son of Roger.

The strong Family First Party vote of 15.7 percent at the 2006 election (the highest in the state) was due in part to their prominent local candidate, church minister Tom Playford (Thomas Playford V), son of former Premier Sir Thomas Playford who represented Gumeracha decades earlier. Playford ran as an independent in the 2002 election, finishing on a primary vote of 19.4 percent. Kavel is the strongest rural seat for the SA Greens on a 15.6 percent primary vote at the 2014 election.