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Nick Xenophon

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Senator
Nick Xenophon
Senator for South Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 July 2008
Member of the South Australian Legislative Council
In office
11 October 1997 – 15 October 2007
Personal details
Born (1959-01-29) 29 January 1959 (age 65)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia[1]
NationalityAustralian Australia
Political partyIndependent
Websitewww.nickxenophon.com.au

Nicholas "Nick" Xenophon[2] (born Nicholas Xenophou; 29 January 1959) is a South Australian barrister, anti-gambling campaigner and politician. He attended Prince Alfred College, and studied law at the University of Adelaide, attaining his Bachelor of Laws in 1981. Xenophon established and became principal of his own law firm, Xenophon & Co. in 1984. Between 1994 and 1997 he served as president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers' Association.

No Pokies, the name of his independent ticket in the South Australian Legislative Council, garnered 2.9 percent of the statewide vote at the 1997 state election electing himself on preferences, and 20.5 percent at the 2006 election (or 2.5 quotas), which was unexpected by political commentators. He was elected to the Australian Senate at the 2007 federal election, again from the same pool of voters in South Australia, however he only received 14.8 percent. This was still over one full Senate quota, gaining election without the need for preferences. With current numbers in the Senate, Xenophon is one of the balance of power Senators. Whilst his original 1997 platform centred on anti-gambling, he has since become an advocate in many other areas.

Xenophon attended Prince Alfred College, and studied law at the University of Adelaide, completing his Bachelor of Laws in 1981. While at University he was for a period a member of the Young Liberals, who helped him secure the editorship of the student newspaper On Dit through vote-rigging; an incident Xenophon says he regrets and helped turned him off party politics.[2] In 1984, he established and became principal of his own law firm, Xenophon & Co. which dealt solely with workers compensation and personal injury claims.[3] In this field he became successful, and between 1994 and 1997 he served as president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers' Association.[4] After legislation was passed in 1992 by the Bannon Labor government that saw the introduction of poker machines into South Australia in 1994, the increased incidence of problem gambling came to Xenophon's attention in his legal practice.[5][6]

Political career

Member of South Australian Legislative Council

At the 1997 South Australian election, Xenophon stood for the South Australian Legislative Council under an Independent No Pokies ticket, advocating the reduction and abolition of poker machines (colloquially known as "pokies"). He received 2.86 per cent of the vote — much less than the 8.33 per cent needed to be elected in his own right — but by receiving a large number of preferences first from microparties and then from Grey Power, he achieved 1.08 quotas and was elected.[7] This made Xenophon the first Independent elected to the Legislative Council in 60 years.[2]

During his time as a sitting member, Xenophon was an activist for a range of issues apart from the elimination of poker machines, speaking out on consumer rights, essential services, the environment, taxation, and perks for politicians.[3] Xenophon was also vocal in the Eugene McGee hit-run affair, becoming an advocate for the victim's wife, with public opinion eventually forcing the Kapunda Road Royal Commission that led to harsher laws for hit-run offences.[8] He is best known for his many media-friendly publicity stunts that have gained him both deep respect and ardent criticism.[6][9]

At the 2006 state election, he ran an aggressive campaign and attracted considerable publicity through a range of imaginative stunts, including riding a model locomotive "gravy train" outside Parliament House to protest MPs' superannuation entitlements, parading along Rundle Mall wearing a sandwich board to advertise his campaign, and bringing a small goat to Parliament urging voters not to "kid around" with their vote.[10][11] Despite media speculation that he would struggle to be re-elected due to the major parties preferencing against him, he attracted sufficient funding and volunteers to staff most state booths on polling day.[12] He received 190,958 first preferences or 20.51 per cent of the total vote, enough to not only be re-elected himself, but also to elect the second No Pokies candidate, Ann Bressington.[13][14] His total was 5.46 per cent less than the Liberal Party, and he outpolled the Liberals in some booths, including the entire electoral district of Enfield.[15] Political analysts said Xenophon's vote at the election was drawn almost equally from the two major parties,[16] and that Xenophon had become the new "third force" in South Australian politics.[17]

2007 federal campaign

On 11 October 2007, Xenophon called a press conference at the Adelaide Zoo in front of the giraffe enclosure, declaring he would "stick his neck out for South Australia" by announcing his resignation from the South Australian Legislative Council in an attempt to gain election to the Australian Senate at the 2007 federal election.[18] His platform consisted of anti-gambling and pro-consumer protection measures, attention to the water crisis affecting the Murray River, ratifying Kyoto, opposition against what he calls a decrease in state rights, and opposition to WorkChoices.[16][19][20]

Following the announcement, ABC election analyst Antony Green predicted that Xenophon would easily win a seat, with Centrebet speculating he would begin on a favourable $1.50 for and $2.70 against. Nick Minchin, a Liberal senator from South Australia and a leader of the party's right faction,[21] urged people not to vote for Mr Xenophon.[22] Xenophon attracted preferences from minor parties such as the Greens, Democrats and Family First, whose preferences would be crucial were he to win less than 14.3% of the vote.[23] Due to differences between federal and state electoral laws, Xenophon's name did not appear above the line on the ticket, and he was represented only by the letter "S" above the line, with voters having to search for his details.[24]

As Xenophon had vacated his Legislative Council seat to run for the Senate, a joint sitting of the South Australian parliament was convened for 21 November 2007 to select Xenophon's replacement. The Rann Labor government agreed to Xenophon's choice of former valuer-general John Darley, who had stood as the third candidate on Xenophon's ticket in 2006.[25] During the joint sitting convened to confirm the nomination, Ann Bressington criticised Xenophon, questioning his integrity and suitability for federal parliament, suggesting that his "anti-politician" image was more spin than reality.[26] She also said Xenophon had demanded she contribute $50,000 towards campaign expenses at the 2006 state election. Xenophon said in response that he was "shocked and hurt" and that she had failed to share her concerns with him in person. Some people whose causes Xenophon had championed also came forward to defend Xenophon.[26][27] Xenophon also complained to the Australian Electoral Commission about political advertisements which falsely claimed he would not support rolling back the unpopular WorkChoices laws if elected.[28]

During the final days of the campaign, Xenophon executed his final campaign stunt — walking a large mule down Rundle Mall, allegedly to demonstrate his stubbornness.[29]

Xenophon received a total of 148,789 votes, representing 14.78% of enrolled electors. 30,054 of these — about one in five — voted below the line. Only the Labor and Liberal parties (each receiving about 35%) polled more votes.[30][31]

Member of Australian Senate

Nick Xenophon in September 2008.

Xenophon's addition to the Senate in mid-2008 resulted in him holding the balance of power in the Senate along with the Australian Greens and Family First. Xenophon indicated plans to work closely with coalition renegade Barnaby Joyce.[32] Xenophon has been reported in the media as "left-of-centre",[33] whilst Hansard reveals that Xenophon and the Greens have found common ground on a number of issues.[34]

In February 2009, the Rudd Government's $42 billion economic stimulus package struggled to see passage through the Senate. After some amendments, the package was supported by Labor, the Greens, and Family First, however Xenophon voted against the package. The package was reintroduced the next morning and this time Xenophon voted with it after some requests were agreed to by the Government. With Xenophon's support the package passed the Senate. Xenophon convinced the government to bring forward $900 million in Murray-Darling basin funds and other water projects, which included $500 million over three years for water buybacks, $200 million in water saving and water management grants for local communities, and $200 million in stormwater harvesting projects.[35][36]

In a speech to the Senate on 17 November 2009, Xenophon labelled the Church of Scientology as a criminal organisation, making allegations of members experiencing blackmail, torture and violence, labour camps and forced imprisonment, and coerced abortions, echoing other criticisms of Scientology.[37][38][39] Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he would consider the call for a parliamentary inquiry, noting Xenophon had made "grave allegations".[40] Rudd stated "I don't want to rush into any judgement on this, other than to say (Xenophon) raised concerns and made some serious allegations. Let us proceed carefully and look carefully at the material he has provided before we make a decision on further parliamentary action."[41][42] However, the federal opposition were not so keen on an inquiry.[43] State Crime Command of New South Wales Police confirmed the following day that they had received statements from Xenophon by seven former members, with investigations commencing.[44]

References

  1. ^ Parliament House of Australia. "Biography for XENOPHON, Nicholas (Nick)". Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Walker, Jamie (28 June 2008). "From brash Young Liberal to Senate linchpin for Nick Xenophon". The Australian. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b Australian Broadcasting Corporation (24 July 2008). "Welcome to the Senate". Q&A: Adventures in Democracy. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Quick on the law". The Advertiser. Adelaide, Australia. 7 November 1998. p. 53.
  5. ^ Holland, Jesse J. (12 June 1998). "Australian lawmaker visits S.C. to see anti-gambling efforts". Associated Press.
  6. ^ a b Davis, Mark (12 October 2007). "Anti-pokies MP could call shots in the Senate". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7.
  7. ^ Green, Antony. "Legislative Council Background. South Australia Election 2006". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  8. ^ "Legal eagles discuss justice system". Stateline (ABC). 13 May 2005. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  9. ^ McGuire, Michael (3 July 2009). Adelaide Advertiser [X marks his spot X marks his spot]. Retrieved 17 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Ahwan, Lauren (6 February 2006). "SA: Stunt MP turns human sandwich board". Associated Press.
  11. ^ Anderson, Laura (18 March 2006). "Vote for me, I kid you not, is Nick's message". The Advertiser. p. 11.
  12. ^ Manning, Dr Haydon (2006). "Australian Political Chronicle: January-June 2006". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 52 (4): 668. ISSN 0004-9522. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ McCarthy, Dr Greg (20 March 2006). Victory for Labor and Xenophon (Media Release) http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news10602.html Victory for Labor and Xenophon (Media Release). Retrieved 17 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help) McCarthy is a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Adelaide.
  14. ^ Electoral Commission of South Australia (5 April 2006). "Results for Legislative Council". Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  15. ^ "The Poll Vault: Xenophon looking good". ABC News Online: Elections. 18 March 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  16. ^ a b Debelle, Penelope (12 October 2007). "Fearful of Xenophon in Senate". The Age. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  17. ^ Lloyd, Megan (19 March 2006). "Election 2006: Mr X has the very last laugh". The Advertiser.
  18. ^ "Colourful independent seeks move to Canberra". ABC Online. 11 October 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  19. ^ Royal, Simon (12 October 2007). "Mr X goes to Canberra". Stateline SA (ABC). Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  20. ^ Henschke, Ian (12 October 2007). "Live Interview (Senator Natasha Stott Despoja; Megan Lloyd (Messenger Newspapers)". Stateline SA (ABC). Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  21. ^ Nick Minchin stirs SA Senate tensions: The Australian 4 June 2009
  22. ^ Haxton, Nance (12 October 2007). "No Pokies MP odds-on for Senate seat". ABC Online. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  23. ^ Nankervis, David (4 November 2007). "Minor parties prefer Mr X". The Advertiser.
  24. ^ "Libs to put heat on Xenophon: analyst". ABC Online. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  25. ^ "SA Govt agrees to Xenophon's choice". ABC Online. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  26. ^ a b "MPs stunned by Xenophon blast". ABC Online. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  27. ^ Haxton, Nance (22 November 2007). "State MP launches scathing attack on Xenophon". World Today (ABC). Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  28. ^ "Xenophon sues over ad". The Australian. 21 November 2007. p. 5.
  29. ^ "The X factor". Farm Weekly (Fairfax). 28 June 2008. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  30. ^ Australian Electoral Commission (20 December 2007). "Senate - First Preferences by Candidate - SA". Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  31. ^ Manning, Dr Haydon (20 December 2007). "South Australians at the polls: The 2007 national election result analysed". Retrieved 17 November 2009. School of Political and International Studies, Flinders University.
  32. ^ "Xenophon, Joyce in early Senate talks". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  33. ^ Doherty, Ben (18 October 2007). "Recognise these men? They may hold balance of power". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  34. ^ Smith, Tony (December 2008). "New fangs for the platy-tiger? The Senate and the Rudd Government in 2008" (PDF). Democratic Audit of Australia. ISSN 1835-6559. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  35. ^ Hudson, Phillip (13 February 2009). "Senate passes stimulus plan". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  36. ^ Gout, Hendrik (20 February 2009). "Senator Xenophon's audacious bluff". The Independent Weekly. Adelaide, Australia. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  37. ^ Xenophon, Nick (18 November 2009). "Australian Senator Nick Xenophon's speech on Church of Scientology in full". Times Online. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  38. ^ Bita, Natasha (18 November 2009). "Scientology criminal, says senator Nick Xenophon". The Australian. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  39. ^ Science or fiction?: The Australian 20 November 2009
  40. ^ "Police assess Scientology allegations". ABC Online. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  41. ^ "Australia mulls Scientology probe". BBC News. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  42. ^ "Australian PM voices 'concerns' over Scientology". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, Canada. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  43. ^ Scientology inquiry rebuff a 'cop out': SMH 19 November 2009
  44. ^ Bita, Natasha (19 November 2009). "Police take up Scientology complaints". The Australian. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
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