Decade in review: election outcomes a surprise

The decade began with a tightly-contested election between Labor Premier Mike Rann and Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond, who was hoping to become SA's first female Premier.

While Labor was returned to government, the party was on the nose with country voters, with huge swings to the Liberals in rural electorates.

One of the seats to watch was the Riverland electorate of Chaffey, held by River Murray and Water Security Minister and National Party MP Karlene Maywald. Voters deserted Ms Maywald in droves, instead supporting Riverland irrigator Tim Whetstone, who achieved a 20 per cent swing towards the Liberals.

Having been elected leader of the Liberal Party just a year prior, Steven Marshall entered the 2014 election campaign with high hopes and the support of key election analysts, who tipped a Liberal victory.

Instead, the state experienced one of the closest election races in recent political history.

While the Liberals won the primary and the two-party preferred vote, they failed to pick up enough seats to form a majority government.

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With Labor having won 23 seats, and the Liberals 22 - both short of the 24 required to form a majority - the decision about which party would form government rested with independents Geoff Brock and Bob Such, but when ill health forced Mr Such to take an extended period of medical leave, Mr Brock became the kingmaker.

Had he chosen to side with the Liberals, the government would have remained in caretaker mode for an indefinite period, with 23 seats for both major parties and no ruling party. Instead, he agreed to vote with Labor on issues of confidence and supply and took up a position on Premier Jay Weatherill's ministry.

Mr Brock described the decision as the hardest of his life, and said he had even received death threats.

One of the biggest bombshells to hit state parliament this decade came just two months after the 2014 election. Martin Hamilton-Smith - who served as Opposition Leader from 2007 to 2009 - decided to leave the Liberal Party and take up an offer from Mr Weatherill to serve as Investment and Trade Minister in the Labor cabinet.

Having lost the previous four elections, the Liberals finally returned to power in 2018, achieving a more comprehensive victory than pre-election polling had suggested.

They won 25 of the 47 Lower House seats, making Mr Marshall our 46th Premier and prompting Mr Weatherill to hand the Labor leadership to Peter Malinauskas.