Port's win a good sign for Labor
VICTORIOUS Port Adelaide MP Mark Butler said his fourth election win was the most enjoyable because, for the first time, it was a contest. 
Mr Butler said before the poll he was unsure how big an impact Nick Xenophon Team candidate Michael Slattery would have on the contest.
"I think it was a bit of an unknown, that was the unsettling part of it, not really knowing how big the vote would be," he said.
In the end it was not close, with Mr Butler claiming 49.5 per cent of the primary vote, comfortably ahead of Liberal Emma Flowerdew on 19 per cent and Mr Slattery on 17.5 per cent.
However, the NXT threat encouraged Mr Butler, for the first time, to hold candidate forums in Port Adelaide.
"What I am very pleased about is my primary vote held up even though the Xenophon team ran a pretty intense campaign," he said.
"This one was a bit more contested than the past so it is particularly enjoyable." Mr Butler, who is also Labor national president said jobs had been the biggest issue in the campaign.
"We have a number of car component companies (in the electorate)," he said. "The demise of the auto industry is a very immediate issue for a lot of people." The downgrading of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was another hot topic, even though it is a state-run facility.
Mr Butler had criticised planned changes to the hospital proposed under the Transforming Health plan pushed by his close friend, Premier Jay Weatherill.
"It's deeply felt, whether it impacted the federal voting pattern I don't think we will ever know," he said.
Mr Butler said the row had not hurt his friendship with Mr Weatherill. "He is a robust character," he said. "We both have jobs to do." However, Mr Butler said Port Adelaide residents were also concerned about facilities within the electorate.
Mr Butler last month pledged that Labor would spend $4 million to help Charles Sturt Council build a $16 million-plus indoor recreation centre at St Clair if it won the election.
The centre would include a gym, five indoor courts and rooms for students to study.
"People want to know about their sports facilities and what funding they would get but it really was a national discussion about jobs and Medicare," he said.
Labor has also pledged $500 million to expand Adelaide's tram network to the suburbs, including Port Adelaide.
The need for improved transport infrastructure became an important issue within the electorate, with calls to make Port Adelaide one of the early recipients of the proposed new spending.
Community leaders, including   Mayor Gary Johanson and local traders, have also called for trams in Port Adelaide.
PORT ADELAIDE BUTLER (ALP) FLOWERDEW (LIB) SLATTERY (NXT)LABOR HOLD