James Agness

James Agness
MP
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly
for Light
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 March 2026
Preceded byTony Piccolo
Personal details
PartyLabor

James Peter Agness is an Australian politician, and has represented the district of Light in the South Australian House of Assembly since the 2026 state election. Agness is a member of the Australian Labor Party, and prior to his election was a state policy advisor and ministerial chief of staff to Nick Champion.

Career

Before standing for office, James Agness was an advisor to Peter Malinauskas during his tenure as leader of the opposition, and served as a ministerial advisor on the state level in the fields of road safety, correctional services, police, and health.

Agness was later a chief of staff to two state ministers — trade and investment minister Joe Szakacs and planning minister Nick Champion. He held the latter role in June 2025 when he was announced as the Labor candidate for the district of Light at the 2026 state election. The incumbent MP for Light was Tony Piccolo, a Labor member who instead sought election in the newly-created seat of Ngadjuri.

At the 2026 election, the result in Light was not immediately known, with the seat too close to call between Agness and the One Nation candidate, Alex Banks. Agness ultimately defeated Banks, becoming the MP for Light.

References

  1. 1 2 "To the four – from senior advisers to Labor candidates". The Advertiser. 5 February 2026. p. 11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gilchrist, Charlie (12 June 2025). "Labor announces candidates for 2026 state election". InDaily. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Labor unveils a new crop of wannabe MPs". The Advertiser. 12 June 2025. p. 10.
  4. ↑ Basford Canales, Sarah (22 March 2026). "One Nation wins at least one SA seat as Liberals consider 'sobering lessons' from election defeat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Briggs, Casey (23 March 2026). "The SA election seats to watch as vote counting continues". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "Pauline makes House history". The Advertiser. 24 March 2026. p. 11.
  7. ↑ Briggs, Casey (24 March 2026). "Light - SA Election 2026". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.