Justin Hanson

Justin Eric Hanson (born 21 October 1980) is an Australian politician who was appointed to the South Australian Legislative Council for the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party on 28 February 2017.

Early life and education
Justin Hanson grew up and went to school in the western suburbs of Adelaide, later studying at Christian Brothers College. He obtained Law and Arts degrees from the University of Adelaide.

Career
Hanson was elected as a councillor in the City of Tea Tree Gully in Balmoral Ward. He was a Director on the Board of Statewide Superannuation and served as the Legal Officer of the Australian Workers Union. He was also a board member and chair at the not-for-profit Neil Sachse Foundation.

Political career
Gerry Kandelaars resigned from parliament on 17 February 2017, which created a casual vacancy and subsequent appointment. Hanson filled the vacancy.

Hanson was selected at number 2 on the voting ticket of the Labor Party in the 2018 State Election. A new electoral system applied for the 2018 Legislative Council election, abolishing group voting tickets and allowing voters to express their own preferences for parties above the line. Electoral analyst Antony Green speculated that this had the effect that "Party control over preferences was ended".

At the 2018 State election Labor polled 304,229 Legislative Council votes and Hanson was subsequently re-elected to the Legislative Council as a member fifth overall from eleven members elected, and of 43 candidates that year. Justin Hanson has been elected for an eight year term until the 2026 election.

Hanson received 5.8% or 741 first preference votes of the 12,666 "below the line" votes cast for the Labor party in the 2018 election.