By THEA WILLIAMS

06feb02

THE rise and rise of the Australian Democrats in South Australia may have peaked before the party achieved its ultimate goal -- a solid seat in the lower house.

The state gave the party its first member in any parliament -- Robin Millhouse in 1977 -- and at the 1997 state election, support sat at 16.3 per cent.

The latest Morgan Poll, however, puts it at 8 per cent and in Newspolls support has gradually slipped during the last two years, down to 10 per cent in December.

"They must be downhearted sometimes", University of Adelaide political analyst Jenny Stock said.

The poor performance in the federal election lingers, as does the leadership tussle between Meg Lees and Natasha Stott Despoja, both South Australian senators, said Dr Stock, author of a book on the Democrats' first 20 years.

The party held the balance of power in the upper house in South Australia from the 1980s until the last election, which deflated their influence.

And while its three members -- all in the upper house, leader Mike Elliott, Sandra Kanck and Ian Gilfillan -- are professional, they are "low profile".

"They are part of the landscape in South Australia -- that is starting to be a negative," Dr Stock said.

The party makes the mistake of talking of itself as "new" while in the eyes of many younger voters it is part of the political establishment.

Even with a new, young leader, the Democrats have struggled to reinvent themselves, and remain largely middle class, based in the Adelaide Hills and appealing to older women.

Dr Stock doesn't hold out hope for the party to make it back into the lower house: "I've advised them, unofficially: 'Just concentrate on what you're good at, you're a very good party in the upper house. You are never going to run the country but you can be very good, you've got influence, you're on committees'."

Leader Mike Elliott disagreed -- membership had increased 50 per cent in the past 18 months, and at the last federal election support in South Australia was higher than the previous two elections. The seat of Heysen is a real chance in the lower house.

Support was on the rise, until the Howard Government's recovery: "Dipping off had nothing to do with party division, it is a result of national events and the Liberal Party harvested support out of that".

Dr Stock said the party should be content if deputy leader Ms Kanck, the only member standing for re-election, is returned.