Electoral district of Morialta

Morialta is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Morialta is derived from a Kaurna Aboriginal word "mariyatala", with "mari" meaning east and "yertala" meaning water. The land used by the Morialta Conservation Park was traditionally occupied by the Kaurna people.

It is a 82.6km² electorate in Adelaide's eastern hills, taking in the suburbs of Athelstone, Castambul, Cherryville, Montacute, Newton, Paradise, Rostrevor, Teringie, Woodforde, as well as parts of Basket Range, Magill, Marble Hill, Norton Summit, Rosslyn Park, Skye and Teringie.

Morialta was the new name adopted in 2002 for the old electorate of Coles, first created in 1970 and represented over the years by several distinguished MPs, including Dunstan Attorney General Len King, 1979 Premier Des Corcoran, and Liberals Jennifer Cashmore (nee Adamson) and Joan Hall. Morialta was contested at the 2002 state election, where it was won by Liberal minister Joan Hall, despite suffering a 2.4 percent swing which reduced her margin to 4.1 percent.

The redistribution prior to the 2006 state election delivered 1919 new voters in labor-voting Paradise to Morialta and lost 1370 voters in liberal-voting Magill to Hartley. The Liberal margin estimated to decline by 0.7 percent. Hall was thought likely to again hold the seat with a reduced margin at the 2006 election, but was defeated by Labor candidate Lindsay Simmons amidst a statewide landslide, receiving a 12 percent two party preferred swing, the average swing being 7.7 percent.

Members for Coles and Morialta

External links

* [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/sa/2006/guide/mori.htm ABC profile for Morialta]
* [http://www.pollbludger.com/sa2006/morialta.htm Poll Bludger profile for Morialta]
* [http://www.seo.sa.gov.au/election2006//maps/images/530.gifState Electoral Office map for Morialta]
* [http://www.seo.sa.gov.au/apps/news/?year=2006&districtSearch=3221 State Electoral Office profile for Morialta]