Central Ward (Adelaide) by-election, 2025
- 6 News Australia
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
A by-election will take place to fill four vacancies on Adelaide City Council.
Key details
Where: Central Ward (Adelaide City Council) in SA
Why: Voiding of 2022 election results
Electoral system: Partial preferential voting and non-compulsory voting
Date: Voting ends 25 August 2025
History and past results
Adelaide City Council is holding a by-election due to the voiding of the November 2022 election result in Central Ward, which covers most of the Adelaide CBD.
In April this year, District Court Judge Micheal Burnett, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, ruled that there had been "illegal practices" during the 2022 election and set aside the results causing a by-election.
The petition to the Court of Disputed Returns was lodged by former Deputy Lord Mayor (and then-sitting councillor) Alexander Hyde, who narrowly lost his seat at that election.
Of the four councillors elected to Central Ward at that time, Jing Li (not to be confused with Liberal-turned-independent Legislative Council member Jing Lee), who had up until 12 months before the poll been a member of the Labor Party, edged Hyde, who is now working as the State Director of the Liberal Party.
There is no allegations of wrongdoing against the others elected at that time, including now-former councillors Carmel Noon, David Elliott and Simon Hou.
The by-election, whose ballot draw was earlier this month, sees an almost Melbourne Cup field of 19 candidates standing for the poll which will be held by postal vote only, with voting ending on 25 August.
Candidates
Listed in ballot paper order:
Oscar Zi Shao Ong (Independent Liberal)
Patrick Maher (Independent)
Alfredo Cabada (Independent Liberal)
Hugo Siu (Independent Liberal)
David Elliott (Independent Labor)
Carmel Noon (Independent)
Colin Shearing (Independent)
Declan Price-Brooks (Independent Labor)
Vivek Gupta (Independent)
Christopher Brohier (Independent Family First)
Anne Moran (Independent)
Ben Ayris (Independent)
Jasmin Ilic (Independent)
Glenn Bain (Independent Liberal)
Eleanor Freeman (Independent)
Franz Peter Knoll (Independent Liberal)
James Stuart McPherson (Independent)
Hamish MacLachlan (Independent)
Raymond Khabbaz (Independent)
Analysis
The by-election is devoid of the two main characters of the Court of Disputed Returns' case, Hyde and Li, neither of whom have chosen to stand again.
Of the ousted Central Ward councillors, David Elliott, who works for Labor MLC Ian Hunter, and Carmel Noon, who is CEO of the SA Division of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers, have nominated once again, whilst Simon Hou has not.
Other candidates of note include former councillor Franz Knoll (Independent Liberal) who also lost his seat at the 2022 poll, and veteran former Area Councillor (representing the whole of the City) and perennial thorn in the side of the city's development lobby, Anne Moran, who was also voted out in 2022.
Newcomers of note include Patrick Maher, who spearheaded the successful Save the Cranker campaign, where the state government stepped in to change the state’s planning laws to stop a much loved CBD live music venue from being demolished; small business advocate, Colin Shearing, who stood at the most recent state election as an upper house independent and received 0.3% of the primary vote; and Dr Ben Ong, biomechanical engineering researcher and Liberal Party member, former President of the Adelaide University Student Union.
Under South Australian law, all electors receive a voting pack which includes a 150 word candidate statement and declarations of the political party membership of each candidate, as well as whether they live in the electoral area.
Of the 19 candidates, there are a remarkably high five Liberal Party members, two from the ALP, and one from Family First (the party's 2025 lead Senate candidate, Christopher Brohier), with the rest declaring no party membership. As expected, no candidates are endorsed by a political party. Only six of those who nominated live in Central Ward, with five of the candidates having stood in 2022.
Close watchers of Adelaide City Council expect Noon, Elliott, and Ong to win, with the final place too close to call in what is expected to be a very tight race.
