SA-BEST LEADER NICK XENOPHON:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
--
* Nick Xenophon was born in Adelaide in 1959, his father migrated to Australia from Cyprus with his mother coming from Greece.
* Completed a law degree at Adelaide University in 1981
* Worked as a personal injury lawyer after graduation and established his own firm.
* Became interested in the issue of problem gambling in the early 1990s after the introduction of poker machines in SA.
* In 1997 he moved from law to state politics, running as an independent on a No Pokies platform.
* He secured less than three per cent of the vote but was able to win his seat via preferences, becoming the first independent elected to the Legislative Council in 60 years.
* At the 2006 election, he received a huge 20.51 per cent of the vote getting himself and a second No Pokies MP elected.
* He quit state politics in 2007 to run for a seat in the Senate. After being elected he shared the balance of power with the Greens and Family First.
* He was re-elected in 2013 and 2016 but quit in 2017, announcing a bid to return to state politics by running for the seat of Hartley in the March 17 poll.
* Formed his own party, SA-BEST, with candidates to run in more than 30 seats in a bid to secure the balance of power.
Australian Associated Press