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Geoffrey Graeme Brock (born 1950) is an Australian politician. He is an Independent member in the South Australian House of Assembly, representing the seat of Stuart since the 2022 South Australian state election. Prior to this, he represented the seat of Frome from the 2009 Frome by-election until a redistribution leading up to the 2022 state election.
Brock has previously served as the Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads and Minister for Veterans Affairs in the Malinauskas Labor cabinet from 2022 to 2024. Brock was previously the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Local Government in the Weatherill Labor cabinet from 2014 until Labor's defeat at the 2018 election.
On 23.6 percent of the primary vote and 51.7 percent of the two-candidate-preferred vote, Brock's election depended on preferences from Labor, Nationals SA, and the SA Greens, the former two having placed him second on their how-to-vote card. His own how-to-vote card saw him preference the Nationals, Labor, Liberal, Greens, and One Nation, in that order. ABC Antony Green's Frome by-election Results blog The by-election was closely contested, with the result being uncertain for over a week. Initial reports suggested a slight swing to the Liberal candidate Terry Boylan on the two-party-preferred count against Labor, with Brock close behind Labor. By 21 January 2009, both the ABC's Antony Green and the state electoral office were indicating a 2-point swing against the Liberals toward Labor on 51.4 percent, but not enough to lose the seat. Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith claimed victory on behalf of the party. This article reproduces the original Liberal press release, no longer available on the SA Liberal site. Frome one loss to another: Independent Weekly 30/1/2009 Frome, a lost moment for the Libs: Independent Weekly 30/1/2009
However, the result hinged on the performance of Brock against Labor in the competition for second place. Brock won the primary vote in the Port Pirie area and picked up enough National and Green preferences to overtake the Labor candidate for second place by 30 votes. He then picked up enough Labor preferences to take the seat off the Liberals on a two-candidate-preferred vote of 51.7 percent (a majority of 665 votes), despite a slight improvement in the Liberal vote since the previous count.
If Geoff Brock had gone with the Liberals, then the Parliament would have effectively been tied 23 to 23, so once Bob Such became ill and stepped away then Geoff Brock, I think had no choice but to side with Labor.
Brock accepted the cabinet positions of Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Local Government in the Weatherill Ministry. In return, Brock agreed to support the Labor government on confidence and supply while retaining the right to otherwise vote on Conscience vote. A few months later, Labor achieved majority government when Nat Cook won the 2014 Fisher by-election which was triggered by the death of Such. Despite this, Weatherill kept Brock and another independent minister Martin Hamilton-Smith in cabinet, giving the government a 26 to 21 parliamentary majority.
Brock held the ministerial portfolios until Labor lost government in the 2018 election. He retained the seat of Frome with a small increase in his primary vote.
A redistribution in 2020 transferred Port Pirie to neighbouring seat of Stuart. In the areas transferred from Frome to Stuart, Brock had polled 65% of the first preference vote and 75% after preferences in the 2018 election, while the rest of Frome was dominantly Liberal. Brock opted to follow most of his base into Stuart at the 2022 election. At the election, Brock defeated incumbent member and Deputy Premier Dan van Holst Pellekaan.
Labor won a majority government at this election. Despite this, Brock was appointed to the Malinauskas Labor ministry as the Minister for Local Government for the second time, as well as Minister for Regional Roads and Minister for Veterans Affairs. He said he had not expected a ministerial position, and the offer by new Premier Peter Malinauskas two days before the swearing-in ceremony came as "a heck of a shock". He emphasised that "he was not a Labor minister, but would vote with cabinet on decisions made by it", and Malinauskas said that Brock's independent would be "maintained and utterly respected". Brock was one of the two regional cabinet ministers, the other being Clare Scriven.
In April 2024, Brock resigned from Cabinet, citing health reasons. He remains the member for Stuart, and announced his intention to contest the next state election in 2026.
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