Nick Xenophon is South Australia’s preferred premier, Galaxy poll shows

NICK Xenophon is South Australia’s preferred Premier, according to a poll commissioned by the banking industry. TAKE OUR POLL

• Xenophon in front to win state seat, poll shows
• Mr X to quit Federal Parliament, run for state SA seat
• Xenophon would reduce number sitting MPs ...
• ... and also cut the number of ministers
• Marshall refuses to consider governing with Xenophon’s SA Best

NICK Xenophon is South Australia’s preferred Premier, according to a poll commissioned by the banking industry.

The Galaxy poll conducted for the Australian Bankers’ Association, just after the SA senator announced his plans to run for State Parliament, shows the SA Best leader is the preferred option to lead the state, supported by 41 per cent of respondents.

Premier Jay Weatherill is next on 22 per cent while Liberal leader Steven Marshall is backed by 21 per cent.

According to the same poll, the Liberals have 31 per cent of the primary vote, Senator Xenophon’s SA Best has 30 per cent and Labor has 26 per cent.

The latest figures come a week after The Advertiser exclusively revealed that Senator Xenophon is in prime position to win the seat of Hartley and return to SA Parliament, where he served in the Upper House between 1997 and 2007 under the No Pokies banner.

The Australian Bankers Association has been polling heavily in SA since the State Government announced a tax on banks in the State Budget.

The statewide poll confirms that Senator Xenophon will play a major part in shaping the election result, but even in the unlikely event he wins all 20 of the seats he is expected to contest, he probably would not be able to form a government.

In a speech to the Senate on Wednesday night, Senator Xenophon said that “as senators will be aware I have indicated my intention to contest the currently Liberal-held House of Assembly seat of Hartley in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs”.

“That seat is where I live, and have done so for decades. It’s my home, my community,” he said.

“One MP boasted to me that the Liberal Party has a huge war chest committed to finance their campaign against me. It was stated to me that some $250,000 has been committed by the Liberals to efforts to hold on to the seat.”

Senator Nick Xenophon will quit the Senate and run for the SA Parliament. Picture: Gary Ramage

State electoral laws ban parties from spending more than $103,000 campaigning in any individual Lower House seat. ​

“When I questioned whether that would be a contravention of the campaign expenditure cap of just over $100,000, I was told that ... funds could be provided and spent by unnamed ‘third parties’,” Senator Xenophon said.

“In announcing my intention to run in the March 17 state election, I anticipated that both Liberal and Labor parties would throw the proverbial kitchen sink at me.

“By the sound of things, it will be a very expensive kitchen sink — a $250,000 kitchen sink, no less.”

A state Liberal spokesman dismissed Senator Xenophon’s claims as “absolute rubbish”.

The Liberals would not comment on the poll and neither would Premier Jay Weatherill’s office.

An Advertiser-Galaxy poll has indicated that Senator Xenophon is leading 53-47 on a two-candidate basis against incumbent Liberal Vincent Tarzia, who won the eastern suburbs seat from Labor in 2014.

Senator Xenophon has said he does not want to be premier and would not accept a ministry, but that he does want the balance of power.