West Torrens is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. Named after the City of West Torrens (which is so-named because of its location on the River Torrens), it is a 25.1 km² suburban electorate in Adelaide's west. It includes the suburbs and areas of Brooklyn Park, Cowandilla, Flinders Park, Hilton, Hindmarsh, Keswick Terminal, Marleston, Mile End, Mile End South, Netley, Richmond, Southwark, Thebarton, Torrensville, Underdale and West Richmond, as well as parts of Allenby Gardens, Lockleys, Welland and West Hindmarsh.
West Torrens has had several incarnations, first as a Legislative Council district, then four times as a South Australian House of Assembly electoral district. It was first used as district in the Legislative Council, from 1851 until 1857, with Charles Simeon Hare and then Thomas Reynolds being the members. From 1857 it became a House of Assembly district, returning two members until it was abolished as a name at the 1902 election. At the 1915 election, it was recreated as a House of Assembly seat returning two members, being abolished again at the 1938 election when single-member districts were introduced. In 1955 it was recreated to replace the abolished seat of Thebarton for the 1956 election, the first time that the district was represented by a single member. It was abolished at the 1970 election and replaced with the electoral district of Peake. It reverted to its original name for the 2002 election, after a redistribution.
Members First incarnation (1857–1902)(Two-member electorate) Member Party Term Member Party Term Luther Scammell 1857–1860 James Cole 1857–1860 Thomas Magarey 1860–1862 George Morphett 1860–1861 Randolph Stow 1861–1862 Henry Strangways 1862–1871 Augustine Stow 1862–1865 John Pickering 1865–1868 G. T. Bean 1868–1870 John Pickering 1870–1870 W. H. Bean 1870–1871 James Boucaut 1871–1875 John Pickering 1871–1878 Benjamin Taylor 1875–1876 J. M. Sinclair 1876–1878 W. J. Magarey 1878–1881 W. H. Bean 1878–1884 F. E. Bucknall 1881–1887 Arthur Harvey 1884–1887 Benjamin Gould 1887–1893 Benjamin Nash 1887–1890 T. H. Brooker 1890–1902 Frank Hourigan Labor 1893–1901
Second incarnation (1915–1938)(Two-member electorate)MemberPartyTermMemberPartyTerm Henry Chesson Labor 1915–1917 Thompson Green Labor 1915–1917 National 1917–1918 National 1917–1918 Alfred Blackwell Labor 1918–1931 John McInnes Labor 1918–1931 Parliamentary Labor 1931–1934 Parliamentary Labor 1931–1934 Labor 1934–1938 Labor 1934–1938
Third incarnation (1956–1970)(Single-member electorate)MemberPartyTerm Fred Walsh Labor 1956–1965 Glen Broomhill Labor 1965–1970
Fourth incarnation (2002–present)(Single-member electorate)Member Party Term Tom Koutsantonis Labor 2002–present
Election results
Notes
References ECSA profile for West Torrens: 2018 ABC profile for West Torrens: 2018 Poll Bludger profile for West Torrens: 2018