State South Australia MP Stephen Mullighan Demographic Metropolitan Area 19.7 km² Elector 25,971 | Created 1993 Electors 25,971 (2014) Founded 1993 Member of parliament Stephen Mullighan Namesake Mary Lee | |
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Party Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) | ||
Lee is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Named after the women's suffrage campaigner Mary Lee, it is a 19.7 km² urban electorate on Adelaide's north-western beaches, taking in the suburbs of Birkenhead, Ethelton, Exeter, Glanville, Largs Bay, New Port, Peterhead, Semaphore, Semaphore Park, Semaphore South, Tennyson, West Lakes and West Lakes Shore, as well as parts of Grange and Seaton.
Lee was created as a fairly safe Labor seat in the 1991 electoral distribution to replace the abolished seat of Albert Park and absorbed half of the abolished seat of Semaphore. The first member for Lee, elected at the 1993 election, was controversial Liberal MP Joe Rossi, holding the most marginal government seat on 1.1 percent. Rossi's election was unexpected but part of a large swing away from Labor throughout the state. The 1997 election saw large swings back to Labor, Rossi's small margin meant he was one of the first to be defeated. Michael Wright reclaimed the seat for Labor.
Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Gary Johanson who contested the 2012 Port Adelaide by-election as an independent contested Lee at the 2014 election. Wright did not re-contest his seat in 2014. Stephen Mullighan retained the seat for Labor on a reduced 4.5 percent two-party margin.