Nick Xenophon | |
|---|---|
 Xenophon in 2009 | |
| Senator forSouth Australia | |
| In office 1 July 2008 – 31 October 2017 | |
| Succeeded by | Rex Patrick |
| Member of theSouth Australian Legislative Council | |
| In office 11 October 1997 – 15 October 2007 | |
| Leader ofIndependent No Pokies Campaign Group | |
| In office 13 September 1997 – 1 July 2013 asNo Pokies | |
| Deputy | Ann Bressington |
| Preceded by | Party established |
| Succeeded by | John Darley |
| In office as 1 July 2013 – 5 March 2017 asNick Xenophon Team | |
| Deputy | Stirling Griff |
| Preceded by | Party merged |
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
| In office 4 July 2017 – 17 March 2018 asSA-BEST | |
| Deputy | Kris Hanna |
| Preceded by | Party rebranded |
| Succeeded by | Frank Pangallo |
| 1st Leader ofCentre Alliance Party | |
| Assumed office 24 March 2022 | |
| Deputy | Kris Hanna |
| Preceded by | Connie Bonaros |
| In office 10 April 2018 – 7 May 2018 | |
| Deputy | Skye Kakoschke-Moore |
| Preceded by | Rebekha Sharkie |
| Succeeded by | Party established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nicholas Xenophou (1959-01-29)29 January 1959 (age 67) |
| Citizenship | Australian British Overseas (renounced)[2] Greek (renounced) |
| Party | Independent (1997–2013, 2018–2022) |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal (1976–1981) No Pokies (1997–2013) Nick Xenophon Team (2013–2018) SA-Best (2017–2018) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Prince Alfred College |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide(LLB) |
| Occupation | Law firmprincipal (Xenophon & Co. Lawyers) |
| Profession | Solicitor Politician |
Nick Xenophon (néNicholas Xenophou;Greek:Νικόλαος Ξενοφού,romanized: Nikólaos Ksenofoú; born 29 January 1959) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who was aSenator forSouth Australia from 2008 until 2017. As a centrist, populist, independent politician, he twice shared the balance of power in the Australian Senate (from 2008 to 2010, 2014 to 2017). Xenophon was widely regarded as being among the most powerful politicians in Australia and among the most electorally successful independent politicians in Australian history, eventually able to form a political party:Nick Xenophon Team federally, andNick Xenophon's SA-BEST in the state of South Australia.[3]
In October 2017, Xenophon resigned from the Australian Senate to contest a seat in theHouse of Assembly at the2018 South Australian state election. From 1997 to 2007, he was a member of theSouth Australian Legislative Council, serving as an independent on aNo Pokies policy platform. When the Nick Xenophon Team changed its name to Centre Alliance, Xenophon himself ceased to be directly involved with the party.[4]
Xenophon initially focused on his centralanti-gambling policy, but also embraced other issues in federal parliament such as civil liberties, defence, education, foreign policy, health, infrastructure, manufacturing, national security, and regional affairs. Xenophon failed in his central mission to havepoker machines curbed or eliminated in a lasting way, but was instrumental in theRudd government's repeal ofWorkChoices legislation and the passage of theeconomic stimulus package, as well as theAbbott government's repeal of theClean Energy Act 2011. Additionally, Xenophon was pivotal in the obstruction of the Abbott government's 2014 austerity budget, the plan to build next generation submarines overseas, and thePyne higher education reforms.
Nick Xenophon was born Nicholas Xenophou inAdelaide,South Australia, to Theo Xenophou fromCyprus, and Georgia fromGreece as the oldest of two children.[5] Xenophon attendedPrince Alfred College from 1965 to 1976 where he achieved three As in English, Mathematics and Economics, and his father was involved with college fundraising.[6] He studied for aBachelor of Laws at theUniversity of Adelaide. From 1976 until 1981, he was a member of theLiberal Party of Australia and theYoung Liberals. In his first year, Xenophon was elected on the Adelaide University Liberal Club ticket toOn Dit student magazine. In his university days Xenophon was a reactionary conservative who held numerous views against women's liberation, gay rights, squatters' rights, Marxism, the anti-Apartheid movement, the anti-nuclear movement and the anti-free traders (all views he later departed from).[7] At the end of his eighteen-month term, Xenophon wrote as awhistleblower inOn Dit that the Young Liberals had rigged the 1976-77 vote in order to secure the unlikely victory of their editing team.[5] According to Xenophon, the party politics of theOn Dit incident disenchanted him, although some Labor members maintain that he considered joining theAustralian Labor Party while at university.[5]
In 2015, the publishers of former LaborPrime MinisterJulia Gillard's 2014 memoir,My Story, retracted an allegation and made a public apology after writing that Xenophon had been "infamously excluded from university for a period as punishment for stuffing a ballot box full of voting papers he had somehow procured".[8][9]
In 1982 and 1983, Xenophon worked as a lawyer in the private practice of Jacob van Dissel.[5] In 1984, van Dissel gave Xenophon thepersonal injury part of his practice, enabling Xenophon to become principal of his new firm, Xenophon & Co. Lawyers. The firm continues and deals primarily with workers compensation and personal injury claims on ano-win-no-fee basis.[10][11]
In 1994 and 1997, Xenophon served as President of the South Australian branch of the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers' Association. During this time, he also taught law at theUniversity of South Australia, where his future political opponentChristopher Pyne was among his students.[12]
In 2019, theAustralian Financial Review reported that his law firm was representing Chinese telecommunications firmHuawei, who Xenophon claims have "been treated incredibly unfairly".[13][14] He also represents the militarywhistleblower,David McBride.[15]
Xenophon considers himself to be acentrist politician[16][17] with strong views againstpoker machine gambling.
In 2008,The Australian quoted manyLiberal andLabor politicians who believed Xenophon had shown himself to be a "lightweight" political opportunist during his decade in state politics.[5]
In 2010, Xenophon sought to introduceanti-cult legislation similar to that of France's anti-cult legislation, primarily targeting theChurch of Scientology and itstax-exempt status.[18][19]
In 2012, Xenophon co-sponsored a bill withVictorian SenatorJohn Madigan to restrict federal government subsidies forwind farms. Xenophon's concerns aboutwind turbines were predominantly related toanecdotal evidence of health problems and the reliability of wind-sourced power.[20]
In 2015, Xenophon appealed in person toIndonesia's largest Islamic body to support a reprieve for two Australian convicteddrug smugglers sentenced to death inBali. Xenophon's translator reportedly stated, “We are aware that the death penalty is the right of the Indonesian government. Therefore, we do not ask that it be cancelled but plead that it be delayed”.[21]
In 2018 during the2018 South Australian state election, Xenophon and his party pushed for a law thatcrystal methamphetamine users inSouth Australia will be forced into drug rehabilitation.[22][23][24]
At the1997 state election, Xenophon stood for theSouth Australian Legislative Council under anIndependentNo Pokies ticket, advocating the reduction and abolition ofpoker machines (colloquially known as "pokies"). He received a vote of 2.86 percent, a statewide total of 25,630 votes – much less than the 8.33 per cent needed to be elected in his own right – but by receiving a large number ofpreferences first frommicroparties and then fromGrey Power, he went from a quota of 0.34 to 1.08 and was therefore elected.[25][26] This made Xenophon the first independent elected to the Legislative Council in 60 years.[5]
Following the 1997 election, theOlsenLiberal government needed the support of an additional two non-Liberal upper house members in order to pass legislation, with theAustralian Democrats retaining thebalance of power on three seats. However, defectors fromLabor in the upper house,Terry Cameron andTrevor Crothers, often brought Xenophon in to play. In 1998, Xenophon voted with Cameron and the government to proceed with the second reading of theETSA power sale bill.[27][28] The bill became law when Cameron and Crothers voted with the Liberal government, although Xenophon voted against the bill in its final form.[29] Following the election of theRannLabor government at the2002 state election, the government needed an additional five non-Labor upper house members to pass legislation, giving a shared balance of power to the Democrats on three seats, incumbent independents Xenophon and Cameron, with theFamily First Party winning their first seat.[citation needed]
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.[11] Xenophon was also vocal in the Eugene McGeehit and run affair, becoming an advocate for the victim's wife, with public opinion eventually forcing theKapunda Road Royal Commission that led to harsher laws for hit and run offences.[30]
At the2006 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 alongRundle Mall wearing asandwich board to advertise his campaign, and bringing a small goat to Parliament urging voters not to "kid around" with their vote.[31][32]
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.[33] 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 secondNo Pokies candidate,Ann Bressington.[34][35] His total was 5.46 per cent less than theLiberal Party, and he outpolled the Liberals in some booths, including theelectoral district of Enfield.[36] With the Labor government needing four non-Labor upper house members to pass legislation, No Pokies on two seats shared the balance of power with Family First on two seats, the Democrats on one seat, with theSA Greens winning their first seat.[citation needed]
On 11 October 2007, Xenophon called a press conference at theAdelaide Zoo in front of thegiraffe enclosure, declaring he would "stick his neck out for South Australia" by announcing his resignation from theSouth Australian Legislative Council in an attempt to gain election to theAustralian Senate at the2007 federal election.[37] His platform consisted of anti-gambling andconsumer protection measures, attention to the water crisis affecting theMurray River, ratifyingKyoto, opposition against a "decrease in state rights", and opposition toWorkChoices.[38][39][40]Nick Minchin, a Liberal senator from South Australia, urged people not to vote for Xenophon.[41][42][43] Due to running as an independent Xenophon's name did not appear above the line on the ticket, instead he was represented only by the letter "S" above the line, with voters having to search for his details.[44]
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. Former valuer-generalJohn Darley, who had stood as the third candidate on Xenophon's ticket in 2006, was appointed.[45] 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.[46] She also said Xenophon had demanded she contributeAU$50,000 towards campaign expenses at the 2006 state election. Xenophon said in response that he was "shocked and hurt" and "deeply upset" that she had failed to share her concerns with him in person, saying "privately and publicly, I have been very supportive of her."[47]
Some whose causes Xenophon had championed also came forward to defend Xenophon, including Di Gilcrist, whose husband's hit and run death resulted in theKapunda Road Royal Commission. In an interview the following day, Gilcrist said "based on my experience not only as a victim who's dealt with Nick but also somebody who's worked with Nick and his office... Nick is passionate and he cares and he is empathetic. And he is truly committed."[46][48] Lower House independentKris Hanna also defended Xenophon, arguing Bressington had "obviously been out to do some damage" and injure Xenophon's election chances.[49]
Towards the end of the campaign, Xenophon walked a large mule downRundle Mall to symbolise his stubbornness. He received 14.78 percent of the vote.[50][51] This was down from his 2006 state election result of over 20%.
Xenophon shared thebalance of power in the Senate with theAustralian Greens and theFamily First Party. TheFirst Rudd government required the support of twocrossbench senators or the opposition to pass legislation.[52]
In February 2009, theRudd government needed to pass its AU$42 billioneconomic stimulus package. Xenophon initially voted against the package, but ultimately voted in favour after amendments were made. Xenophon persuaded the government to bring forward AU$900 million inMurray-Darling basin funds and other water projects, which included AU$500 million over three years for water buybacks.[53][54]
In November 2009, Xenophon labelled theChurch of Scientology as a criminal organisation, alleging members had experiencedblackmail,torture and violence,labour camps and forcedimprisonment, andcoerced abortions.[55][56][57] On 7 September 2010, a Senate committee recommended that a charities commission be formed with the purpose of investigating and monitoring transparency of charitable organisations.[58] This recommendation receivedbipartisan support.[58][59]
In July 2011, Xenophon lost thebalance of power to the Greens,[60][61] however his anti-pokies stance was bolstered when independentAndrew Wilkie was elected to the lower house at the 2010 election, resulting in a hung parliament. Wilkie had campaigned heavily against pokies at the election.[62] In exchange for Wilkie's support, theGillard government legislated for mandatoryprecommitment technology which would require people using high-bet machines to pre-commit how much they were willing to bet on a machine before actually playing,[63] as well as introducing safer AU$1 maximum bet per spin machines, which would not require pre-commitment.[64] The plan came under sustained attack from sporting clubs and various businesses that financially benefit from poker machine use.[65][66]
In September 2011, Xenophon controversially usedparliamentary privilege to accuse aCatholic priest ofrape, in regard to accusations around events that occurred in the 1960s. He also accused MonsignorDavid Cappo andPhilip Wilson, theCatholic Archbishop of Adelaide, of failing to properly investigate the allegations in 2007. All three men denied the senator's claims. Xenophon chose such action after receiving an "unsatisfactory" response from the Church when advising them of his intentions and ultimatum. Cappo subsequently stepped down from several of his public positions.[67][68][69] Several days later, after high-level media coverage, Xenophon indicated he might not have used parliamentary privilege had he known the person he accused was about to take a period of leave.[70]
In November 2011, Xenophon voted against theClean Energy Bill. Thecarbon pricing scheme passed with the Labor government receiving Green support for the legislation in the Senate.[71][72]
In May 2012, Xenophon – a vocal supporter of opposition leaderAnwar Ibrahim – visitedMalaysia to independently observe anti-government protests. TheNew Straits Times questioned Xenophon's impartiality in an article, which included part of his 2009 speech criticisingScientology.[73] The newspaper replacedScientology with the wordIslam.[74] Xenophon threatened to sue fordefamation, and the article was removed from the newspaper's website.[75]
In February 2013, Xenophon attempted independently to revisit Malaysia but was detained by immigration authorities atKuala Lumpur airport.[76] He was later sent back to Australia.[77][78] It was confirmed that Xenophon was not on an Australian Delegation list scheduled to meet the Malaysian parliamentary affairs minister.[79]
During the2013 federal election, Xenophon nominated four key policy issues; gaming machine reforms, stoppingpalm oil from being sold in Australia, breaking up the supermarketduopoly, and better deals forRiverland irrigators in theMurray-Darling basin rescue plan. Xenophon's voting result increased to 24.9 percent, a few percent short of two quotas.[80] A record number of candidates stood at the election.[81]Group voting tickets came under scrutiny because multiple candidates were provisionally elected with the vast majority of their 14.3 percent quotas coming from the preferences of other parties across the political spectrum.[82][83][84]
After returning to a balance of power position in the Senate, Xenophon focused on defence (particularly theCollins-class submarine replacement project)[85] and cuts made by theAbbott government in the2014 Australian federal budget.[86]
In October 2014, Xenophon supported the Abbott government's Direct Action plan for combattingClimate Change, enabling it to pass the Senate.[87] However, he later stated that the plan had been "neutered" because of changes made to it via regulation.[88]
In December 2014, Xenophon voted against the tertiary education reforms proposed byMinister for Education and TrainingChristopher Pyne which would have seen a shift towardsprivatisation of universities in Australia.[89]
In March 2015, Xenophon opposed the amendments to the national security legislative framework, particularly on the issue oftelecommunications data retention.[90] In his 2014 "spycatcher" speech to the Senate, Xenophon stated that the new laws would have achilling effect on investigative journalism in Australia.[91] Xenophon negotiated with thenMinister for Immigration and Border ProtectionScott Morrison for the reintroduction of theTemporary Protection Visa.[92]
In March 2015, Xenophon independently travelled to Indonesia with anAdelaidesheikh to unsuccessfully seek clemency for theBali Nine duo who were ondeath row.[21][93]
In November 2015, Xenophon joined calls for a royal commission into theAustralia-East Timor spying scandal.[94][95]
In February 2016, Xenophon joined with theAustralian Greens and the Government to support a reform of the Senate election system.[96] Other crossbench senators, includingJohn Madigan andDavid Leyonhjelm, whose re-election prospects would be bleak under the new voting arrangements, accused Xenophon of "political trickery of the highest order".[97][98]
During the2016 federal election campaign, Xenophon was the subject of attacks from both major political parties,[99] including his failure to declare a directorship of Adelaide Tower Pty Ltd, which involved his father. Xenophon accused proponents of a "partisan and personal campaign".[100] Labor requested theAustralian Electoral Commission investigate questionable loans given to Xenophon by businessman Ian Melrose.[101]
In August 2016, Xenophon and NXT colleagues opposed the proposedsame-sex marriage plebiscite on the basis that it was not binding and a waste of public resources.[102]
In March 2017, Xenophon announced that he would launch a new party in time for the2018 South Australian state election.[103] In July 2017,Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST was registered by theElectoral Commission of South Australia.[104]
In August 2017, Xenophon became embroiled in the2017 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis[105] and asked to be referred to the High Court for clarification of his 2016 eligibility.[106][107] On 27 October 2017, the High Court found he had been eligible in 2016 to nominate and be validly elected.[2]: para 135
In September 2017, theTurnbull government with the support of Nick Xenophon (by a vote of 31–27), was able to pass changes to media legislation including the repealing of the "two-out-of-three" rule (which allowed a company to own a TV station, newspaper and radio station in a single market) and the "reach rule" (which prevented a single TV broadcaster from reaching more than seventy-five per cent of the population).[108][109]
On 6 October 2017, Xenophon announced that he would resign in order to stand for the Parliament of South Australia at the2018 South Australian general election.[110] On 31 October 2017, Xenophon resigned from the Senate, and was replaced by his party's senior advisorRex Patrick.[111][112][113]
On 19 August 2017, Xenophon announced that British authorities had confirmed that he was aBritish Overseas Citizen because his ethnic Greek father was born inCyprus when it was a British colony.[105] Xenophon's subsequent application to renounce that citizenship became effective on 30 August.[2]: para 123 Separately, Xenophon later said that he had already renouncedGreek citizenship acquired through his mother. Xenophon asked the Australian government to have him referred to the High Court in theCourt of Disputed Returns for consideration and clarification of his 2016 eligibility.[106][107] On 27 October 2017, the High Court found that Xenophon had been eligible in 2016 to nominate and be validly elected.[2]: para 135
On 17 March 2018, Xenophon unsuccessfully contested the seat ofHartley in theSouth Australian House of Assembly at the2018 South Australian state election. Although he came second on the primary vote ahead of Labor'sGrace Portolesi by 202 votes, upon the preference distribution of the eliminated fourth-placed Greens candidate, Xenophon's 99 vote lead over Labor became a 357-vote deficit. Third-placed Xenophon was therefore eliminated, with Hartley reverting to the traditional Liberal vs Labor contest.[114][115]
Xenophon announced on 24 March 2022 that he would once again run for the Australian Senate at the2022 Australian federal election.[116]
At the2022 Australian Senate election, Xenophon attempted to make a comeback into federal politics, by running in South Australia as an independent lead candidate of the Group O ticket withCentre Alliance SenatorStirling Griff, in which both of them failed to get elected after gaining only 2.99% down from 21.76% at the 2016 Election when both were elected.[117]
On 2 December 2019,Huawei Australia announced that it had engaged Xenophon's services as an "external lawyer".[118] The company was banned by the Australian government from providing5G infrastructure. Xenophon said he would not be lobbying members of parliament on behalf of Huawei.[119]
Xenophon continues to advocate for poker machine gambling reforms.[120]
In 1990, Xenophon marriedphysiotherapist Sandra Kazubiernis.[5] When their only child was born in 1992, Xenophon changed his own surname bydeed poll from Xenophou to Xenophon, his paternal grandfather's surname. Kazubiernis and Xenophon separated in 1995 and later divorced.[121]
Xenophon had his second child in early 2019 with another partner.[122] The relationship was reported to have ended before 2022.[123]
Xenophon opened a Greek-Cypriot restaurant called Thanks to Theo in Adelaide in 2023 to honour his father who died in the same year.[124] In 2024 Xenophon announced he was undergoing surgery for a non-cancerous brain tumour.[125]
In 2017, former staffer Jenny Low claimed, in response to an article appearing inThe Australian, that she had been in a seven-year secret relationship with Xenophon that was psychologically abusive, "destructive" and detrimental to her career.[126] Xenophon admitted that a relationship had commenced in 2007,[127] but rejected any negative assertions.[126] Before the 2022 federal election Xenophon was accused by another former partner of being emotionally abusive.[123] Xenophon expressed regret but declined to comment on details.
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