Electoral district of Frome
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Frome South Australia—House of Assembly |
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Electoral district of Frome (green) in South Australia
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| State | South Australia |
| Dates current | 1884–1902, 1938–1977, 1993–present |
| MP | Geoff Brock |
| Party | Independent |
| Namesake | Edward Charles Frome |
| Electors | 25,228 (2014) |
| Area | 8,266 km2 (3,191.5 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
| Coordinates | 33°44′16″S 138°20′18″E / 33.73778°S 138.33833°ECoordinates: 33°44′16″S 138°20′18″E / 33.73778°S 138.33833°E |
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 seated in the industrial city of Port Pirie and the agriculture areas of Clare and Gilbert Valleys. It covers a total of 8,266 km² and takes in the towns of Auburn, Clare, Crystal Brook, Mintaro, Port Broughton, Port Pirie, Saddleworth, Snowtown and Riverton.
Frome has existed in three incarnations throughout the history of the House of Assembly: as a multi-member marginal electorate from 1884 to 1902, as a single member electorate from 1938 to 1977, and as a marginal to moderately safe seat for the Liberal Party of Australia since 1993.
The first incarnation was, like the rest of the state, independent-held until the development of the party system until in the 1890s. The two seats were split evenly with a conservative and a liberal member from 1890 until the seat's abolition in 1902.
The second incarnation began in 1938 after the introduction of the Playmander. It was based around the area north of Port Pirie, and was originally a Labor stronghold. The seat was won by Mick O'Halloran, who served as Opposition Leader from 1949 until his death in 1960. After the Playmander was significantly diluted by the 1970 electoral reforms, Frome was pushed into more conservative-leaning rural areas around Port Pirie, turning it into a notional Liberal and Country League seat. O'Halloran's successor, Tom Casey, believed this made Frome impossible to hold and successfully transferred to the Legislative Council. The LCL, which later became the South Australia division of the Liberal Party, won the seat at the 1970 state election, and went on to hold Frome until the abolition of the seat in 1977.
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