Labor's ousted national president Mark Butler has been dealt another blow, with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announcing it will abolish his seat of Port Adelaide — potentially triggering a preselection showdown.
The anticipated move will leave South Australia with 10 seats in the Lower House, instead of the current 11.
The AEC said changes will be made to the boundaries of all of the state's remaining electoral divisions.
The electorate of Wakefield will also be renamed Spence after Catherine Helen Spence, who advocated for female suffrage and electoral reform in the late 1800s.
"The final boundaries have resulted principally from the need to reduce the number of electoral divisions from 11 to 10," Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said.
"Abolishing an electoral division, together with the need to ensure that all of South Australia's 10 electoral divisions then meet the numerical requirements of the Electoral Act, means that changes have been made to the boundaries of all electoral divisions in South Australia."
The AEC said the move was made necessary by South Australia's declining population share.
Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne was among those advocating for changing the name of Wakefield, because it honours convicted child abductor Edward Gibbon Wakefield.
Mr Butler, who is Labor's climate change and energy spokesman, was elected ALP national president in 2015.
He had been seeking a second term in that role, but was last week defeated by former deputy prime minister Wayne Swan.
The AEC's decision could now spark a showdown between Mr Butler and his left-faction colleague Steve Georganas for the adjacent seat of Hindmarsh in Adelaide's western suburbs.
In a statement similar to one he released in April, Mr Butler gave no indication as to his next move, but said he would now "look at all my options as I continue to serve my community".
"I have been the proud member of Port Adelaide since 2007 and am obviously disappointed in the decision to abolish the seat," he said.
"I know that the Port is a resilient community whose spirit and character will shine through, regardless of the federal seat in which it lies."
Redistribution will not affect Mayo by-election
Mr Butler has represented the seat of Port Adelaide since 2007, and retained the seat at the 2016 election by a margin of almost 30 per cent.
SA Labor leader Peter Malinauskas said he hopes the party finds a way for Mr Butler to remain in Canberra, but would not comment on the preselection process.
"We have a united party that will work through the issues. Mark Butler is clearly an extraordinary talent and one that I hope continues to be utilised in the Federal Parliament," he said.
"I have every confidence that our party will work through a process to make sure we get a good outcome."
The AEC's Redistribution Committee received more than 300 objections to the redistribution.
According to the AEC's report, more than 225,000 South Australian voters will find themselves in a different electorate as a result of the redistribution.
But the changes will not affect the upcoming Mayo by-election, which will be contested within the boundaries in place at the 2016 election.
While Labor notionally loses a seat, the move is tipped to boost its representation in surrounding electorates, including the marginal seat of Hindmarsh.
Labor unsuccessfully sought for Mr Pyne's blue ribbon seat of Sturt to be the one to go.
