Nick Xenophon is an Australian politician and lawyer who was a Senator for South Australia from 2008 to 2017.
63 Facts About Nick Xenophon
2.
In October 2017, Xenophon resigned from the Australian Senate to contest a seat in the House of Assembly at the 2018 South Australian state election.
3.
Nick Xenophon initially focused on his central anti-gambling policy, but embraced other issues in federal parliament such as civil liberties, defence, education, foreign policy, health, infrastructure, manufacturing, national security, and regional affairs.
4.
Nick Xenophon failed in his central mission to have poker machines curbed or eliminated in a lasting way, but was instrumental in the Rudd government's repeal of WorkChoices legislation and the passage of the economic stimulus package, as well as the Abbott government's repeal of the Clean Energy Act 2011.
5.
Additionally, Nick Xenophon was pivotal in the obstruction of the Abbott government's 2014 austerity budget, the plan to build next generation submarines overseas, and the Pyne higher education reforms.
6.
Nick Xenophon attended Prince Alfred College, and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide.
7.
In 2015, the publishers of former Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard's 2014 memoir, My Story, retracted an allegation that Nick 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.
In 1982 and 1983, Nick Xenophon worked as a lawyer in the private practice of Jacob van Dissel.
9.
In 1994 and 1997, Nick Xenophon served as President of the South Australian branch of the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers' Association.
10.
In 2019, the Australian Financial Review reported that his law firm was representing Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, who Nick Xenophon claims have "been treated incredibly unfairly".
11.
Nick Xenophon considers himself to be a centrist politician with strong views against poker machine gambling.
12.
In 2008, The Australian quoted many Liberal and Labor politicians who believed Nick Xenophon had shown himself to be a "lightweight" political opportunist during his decade in state politics.
13.
In 2010, Nick Xenophon sought to introduce anti-cult legislation similar to that of France's anti-cult legislation, primarily targeting the Church of Scientology and its tax-exempt status.
14.
In 2012, Nick Xenophon co-sponsored a bill with Victorian Senator John Madigan to restrict federal government subsidies for wind farms.
15.
In 2015, Nick Xenophon appealed in person to Indonesia's largest Islamic body to support a reprieve for two Australian convicted drug smugglers sentenced to death in Bali.
16.
At the 1997 state election, Nick Xenophon stood for the South Australian Legislative Council under an Independent No Pokies ticket, advocating the reduction and abolition of poker machines.
17.
In 1998, Nick Xenophon voted with Cameron and the government to proceed with the second reading of the ETSA power sale bill.
18.
The bill became law when Cameron and Crothers voted with the Liberal government, although Nick Xenophon voted against the bill in its final form.
19.
Nick 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.
20.
Nick Xenophon was vocal in the Eugene McGee hit and 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 and run offences.
21.
Nick Xenophon received 190,958 first preferences or 20.51 per cent of the total vote, enough to not only be re-elected himself, but to elect the second No Pokies candidate, Ann Bressington.
22.
Nick Xenophon's total was 5.46 per cent less than the Liberal Party, and he outpolled the Liberals in some booths, including the electoral district of Enfield.
23.
On 11 October 2007, Nick 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.
24.
Nick Xenophon's platform consisted of anti-gambling and consumer protection measures, attention to the water crisis affecting the Murray River, ratifying Kyoto, opposition against a "decrease in state rights", and opposition to WorkChoices.
25.
Nick Xenophon said Xenophon had demanded she contribute AU$50,000 towards campaign expenses at the 2006 state election.
26.
Some whose causes Nick Xenophon had championed came forward to defend Nick Xenophon, including Di Gilcrist, whose husband's hit and run death resulted in the Kapunda Road Royal Commission.
27.
Nick Xenophon is passionate and he cares and he is empathetic.
28.
Towards the end of the campaign, Nick Xenophon walked a large mule down Rundle Mall to symbolise his stubbornness.
29.
Nick Xenophon shared the balance of power in the Senate with the Australian Greens and the Family First Party.
30.
Nick Xenophon initially voted against the package, but ultimately voted in favour after amendments were made.
31.
Nick Xenophon persuaded the government to bring forward AU$900 million in Murray-Darling basin funds and other water projects, which included AU$500 million over three years for water buybacks.
32.
In November 2009, Nick Xenophon labelled the Church of Scientology as a criminal organisation, alleging members had experienced blackmail, torture and violence, labour camps and forced imprisonment, and coerced abortions.
33.
In July 2011, Nick Xenophon lost the balance of power to the Greens, however his anti-pokies stance was bolstered when independent Andrew Wilkie was elected to the lower house at the 2010 election, resulting in a hung parliament.
34.
Nick Xenophon accused Monsignor David Cappo and Philip Wilson, the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, of failing to properly investigate the allegations in 2007.
35.
Nick Xenophon chose such action after receiving an "unsatisfactory" response from the Church when advising them of his intentions and ultimatum.
36.
Several days later, after high-level media coverage, Nick Xenophon indicated he might not have used parliamentary privilege had he known the person he accused was about to take a period of leave.
37.
In November 2011, Nick Xenophon voted against the Clean Energy Bill.
38.
Nick Xenophon threatened to sue for defamation, and the article was removed from the newspaper's website.
39.
In February 2013, Nick Xenophon attempted independently to revisit Malaysia but was detained by immigration authorities at Kuala Lumpur airport.
40.
In October 2014, Nick Xenophon supported the Abbott government's Direct Action plan for combatting Climate Change, enabling it to pass the Senate.
41.
In December 2014, Nick Xenophon voted against the tertiary education reforms proposed by Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne which would have seen a shift towards privatisation of universities in Australia.
42.
In March 2015, Nick Xenophon opposed the amendments to the national security legislative framework, particularly on the issue of telecommunications data retention.
43.
Nick Xenophon negotiated with then Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison for the reintroduction of the Temporary Protection Visa.
44.
In March 2015, Nick Xenophon independently travelled to Indonesia with an Adelaide sheikh to unconvincingly seek clemency for the Bali Nine duo who were on death row.
45.
In November 2015, Nick Xenophon joined calls for a royal commission into the Australia-East Timor spying scandal.
46.
In February 2016, Nick Xenophon joined with the Australian Greens and the Government to support a reform of the Senate election system.
47.
In March 2017, Nick Xenophon announced that he would launch a new party in time for the 2018 South Australian state election.
48.
In July 2017, Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST was registered by the Electoral Commission of South Australia.
49.
In September 2017, the Turnbull government with the support of Nick Xenophon, was able to pass changes to media legislation including the repealing of the "two-out-of-three" rule and the "reach rule".
50.
On 6 October 2017, Nick Xenophon announced that he would resign in order to stand for the Parliament of South Australia at the 2018 South Australian general election.
51.
On 31 October 2017, Nick Xenophon resigned from the Senate, and was replaced by his party's senior advisor Rex Patrick.
52.
On 19 August 2017, Nick Xenophon announced that British authorities had confirmed that he was a British Overseas Citizen because his ethnic Greek father was born in Cyprus when it was a British colony.
53.
Separately, Nick Xenophon later said that he had already renounced Greek citizenship acquired through his mother.
54.
Nick Xenophon asked the Australian government to have him referred to the High Court in the Court of Disputed Returns for consideration and clarification of his 2016 eligibility.
55.
On 27 October 2017, the High Court found that Nick Xenophon had been eligible in 2016 to nominate and be validly elected.
56.
On 17 March 2018, Nick Xenophon unsuccessfully contested the seat of Hartley in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 2018 South Australian state election.
57.
Third-placed Nick Xenophon was therefore eliminated, with Hartley reverting to the traditional Liberal vs Labor contest.
58.
Nick Xenophon announced on 24 March 2022 that he will run for the Australian Senate at the 2022 Australian federal election.
59.
Nick Xenophon was banned by the Australian government from providing 5G infrastructure.
60.
Nick Xenophon said he would not be lobbying members of parliament on behalf of Huawei.
61.
In 2022 Nick Xenophon attempted to make a comeback into federal politics, by running again for Senate in South Australia as the lead candidate of the Group O ticket above Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff, although both of them failed to get elected.
62.
In 2017, former staffer Jenny Low claimed, in response to an article appearing in The Australian, that she had been in a seven-year secret relationship with Nick Xenophon that was psychologically abusive, "destructive" and detrimental to her career.
63.
Nick Xenophon admitted that a relationship had commenced in 2007, but rejected any negative assertions.