Narungga vote down to the wire…
so close.

Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Just a hair’s breadth separates One Nation and the Liberal Party in Narungga as preference counting continues to determine the outcome of Saturday’s state election.

As at 10am today, Tuesday March 24, One Nation’s Chantelle Thomas was leading against the Liberal Party’s Tania Stock by an estimated 98 votes.

One Nation had garnered 7, 416 votes compared to 4,214 for Mrs Stock.

This meant One Nation has captured a projected 38.5 per cent of the vote, representing a swing of 32.9 per cent, compared with 21.9 per cent for the Liberals in Narungga — a swing against the party of 8.1 per cent.

Both the ABC’s election analysis team and online site, Poll Bludger, were forecasting that One Nation would win the race on preferences.

Meanwhile, the former sitting member for Narungga, independent Fraser Ellis has conceded defeat, having captured 3,395 votes or 17.6 per cent, representing a swing against him of 12.9 per cent. 

The next highest vote was achieved by the Australian Labor Party’s Esther Short with 2,898 votes, followed by The Greens’ Jessica Scriven with 506 votes. A total of 10 candidates stood for the seat, including representatives for Australian Family, the Legalise Cannabis South Australia Party, United Voice and Family First.

Narungga is one of nine seats still in doubt around the state, including two others expected to be won by One Nation — Hammond (centred on Murray Bridge) and McKillop in the South East. Amongst the remaining seats in doubt, the ALP is ahead in three, the Liberals lead in one, and an independent is expected to win in another.

A deep dive into the statistics shows the booths across Narungga which accumulated the highest votes for One Nation were in Moonta (498 votes), Balaklava (429), Kadina (355), and Wallaroo (383).

The Liberals did best in Balaklava (305), Moonta (200), Port Broughton (187) and Ardrossan (181).

The ALP’s resounding victory, led by Premier Peter Malinauskas, is the biggest the party has achieved in this state. The party has claimed 31 seats so far, comfortably surpassing the 24 seats it needed to win.

Their traditional rival, the Liberal Party, has retained only four seats so far, making it unlikely they will be able to serve as the opposition in their own right.

Both of these factors mean the ALP will dominate state politics, making it a tough job for the opposition in whatever form it takes.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 24 March 2026.