Geoff Brock
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Graeme "Geoff" Brock is a South Australia
n politician, representing the seat of Frome
in the South Australian House of Assembly
as an Independent, after a shock win at the 2009 Frome state by-election
, defeating the Liberal
candidate Terry Boylan. He had a high local profile prior to the election, having served for almost six years as the Mayor of the Port Pirie Regional Council
. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon
also campaigned for Brock.
On 23.6 percent of the primary vote and 51.7 percent of the two-candidate vote, Brock's election was dependent on preferences from Labor
, Nationals SA, and the SA Greens, the former two having placed him second on their how to vote card. His own how to vote card saw him preference the Nationals, Labor, Liberal, Green, and One Nation, in that order. The by-election was closely contested, with the result being uncertain for over a week. Initial reports suggested a slight swing to the Liberal candidate Terry Boylan on the two-party preferred count against Labor, but with Independent candidate Geoff Brock not far behind Labor. By 21 January 2009, both the ABC's Antony Green and the State Electoral Office were indicating a two percent swing against the Liberals toward Labor on 51.4 percent, but not enough to lose the seat. Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith
claimed victory on behalf of the party.
However, the result hinged on the performance of Brock against Labor in the competition for second place. Brock won the primary vote in the Port Pirie area and received enough preferences, ending up ahead of the Labor candidate by 30 votes. He therefore received enough preference votes from Labor and other candidates to achieve a two-candidate preferred vote of 51.7 percent (a majority of 665 votes) against the Liberal candidate, despite a slight improvement in the Liberal vote since the previous count.
Brock increased his primary vote to 37.7 percent and two-candidate vote to 57.5 percent at the 2010 election.
Brock had worked in Port Pirie
's Nyrstar
smelter since arriving in the town in 1976. He was first elected to the Council (at that time a City Council) in 1989, and served on numerous community committees before being elected Mayor in May 2003, defeating sitting mayor Ken Madigan by 3,297 votes to 2,173. He retired from Nyrstar in September 2007, and he and his second wife Lyn have 12 grandchildren between them.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n politician, representing the seat of Frome
Electoral district of Frome
Frome is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after Edward Charles Frome, the third surveyor-general of South Australia. The electorate is based around the industrial city of Port Pirie and the agriculture areas of Clare and Gilbert...
in the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
as an Independent, after a shock win at the 2009 Frome state by-election
Frome state by-election, 2009
A by-election was held for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Frome on 17 January 2009. This was triggered by the resignation of former Premier and state Liberal MHA Rob Kerin...
, defeating the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate Terry Boylan. He had a high local profile prior to the election, having served for almost six years as the Mayor of the Port Pirie Regional Council
Port Pirie Regional Council
The Port Pirie Regional Council is a Local Government Area in South Australia, focused on the city of Port Pirie. It has a population of about 22,000 people. The council's administrative facilities and works depot can be found in Port Pirie. Other rural towns such as Crystal Brook, Redhill,...
. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon
Nick Xenophon
Nicholas "Nick" Xenophon is a South Australian barrister, anti-gambling campaigner and politician. He attended Prince Alfred College, and studied law at the University of Adelaide, attaining his Bachelor of Laws in 1981. Xenophon established and became principal of his own law firm, Xenophon & Co....
also campaigned for Brock.
On 23.6 percent of the primary vote and 51.7 percent of the two-candidate vote, Brock's election was dependent on preferences from Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, Nationals SA, and the SA Greens, the former two having placed him second on their how to vote card. His own how to vote card saw him preference the Nationals, Labor, Liberal, Green, and One Nation, in that order. The by-election was closely contested, with the result being uncertain for over a week. Initial reports suggested a slight swing to the Liberal candidate Terry Boylan on the two-party preferred count against Labor, but with Independent candidate Geoff Brock not far behind Labor. By 21 January 2009, both the ABC's Antony Green and the State Electoral Office were indicating a two percent swing against the Liberals toward Labor on 51.4 percent, but not enough to lose the seat. Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith
Martin Hamilton-Smith
Martin Leslie James Hamilton-Smith is the member for the electoral district of Waite in the South Australian House of Assembly since 1997...
claimed victory on behalf of the party.
However, the result hinged on the performance of Brock against Labor in the competition for second place. Brock won the primary vote in the Port Pirie area and received enough preferences, ending up ahead of the Labor candidate by 30 votes. He therefore received enough preference votes from Labor and other candidates to achieve a two-candidate preferred vote of 51.7 percent (a majority of 665 votes) against the Liberal candidate, despite a slight improvement in the Liberal vote since the previous count.
Brock increased his primary vote to 37.7 percent and two-candidate vote to 57.5 percent at the 2010 election.
Brock had worked in Port Pirie
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....
's Nyrstar
Nyrstar
Nyrstar N.V is the world’s largest zinc metal producer and is also one of the world’s largest primary lead smelting and refining companies. It was formed on 31 August 2007 through a merger between the zinc alloys operations of the Belgian company Umicore and the zinc and lead smelting operations of...
smelter since arriving in the town in 1976. He was first elected to the Council (at that time a City Council) in 1989, and served on numerous community committees before being elected Mayor in May 2003, defeating sitting mayor Ken Madigan by 3,297 votes to 2,173. He retired from Nyrstar in September 2007, and he and his second wife Lyn have 12 grandchildren between them.