Marshall refuses to consider governing with Xenophon’s SA Best

SHELLSHOCKED Opposition leader Steven Marshall has rushed to rule out doing deals to govern with the support of Nick Xenophon’s SA Best Party.

• Xenophon to quit Senate
• Peter Jean: There can be no NXT without Nick Xenophon
• SA Senator confirmed as British citizen
• Analysis: This could be Mr X’s defining moment

SHELLSHOCKED Opposition leader Steven Marshall has rushed to rule out doing deals to govern with the support of Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party, as the potential kingmaker’s state political bombshell reverberated along North Tce.

Mr Marshall was adamant his party would not do deals with Senator Xenophon, stressing voting for the maverick politician could lead to Labor securing a fifth consecutive term.

“We’ve already ruled that out. We do not want to form a coalition after the next election,” he said.

“The people of South Australia deserve a reformist government and the only way to get that is to put the Liberals first, not some hopeless amalgam of Labor and the Xenophons working in SA together. That would be a disaster.

“Senator Xenophon himself says that Labor being a terrible Government is one of his motivations for returning to South Australia but he refuses to rule out working with Labor to form a fifth term of this hopeless Government.”

First-term Liberal MP and Member for Hartley Vincent Tarzia with party leader Steven Marshall. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Mr Marshall’s clear messaging was a stark contrast to the Government, who rolled out Water Minister Ian Hunter, instead of Premier Jay Weatherill, to address Senator Xenophon’s shock move to contest the eastern suburbs seat of Hartley.

Labor left open the possibility it could do a deal to work with Senator Xenophon, with Mr Hunter repeatedly refusing to attack him despite his pointed criticism of the Government.

“I think what we’re seeing is an expression of the dissatisfaction in the state in the leadership of Steven Marshall, the disunity in the Liberal Party,” Mr Hunter said. “(Mr Xenophon) is not anything if not an opportunist, he sees an opportunity wide open here on the conservative side of politics, Steven Marshall’s leadership is on the nose, internal ructions and divisions, he’s lost MPs and Nick is stepping in.

“All we’re worried about is getting on with the job of governing and creating jobs and employment security for South Australians. We’ll put our case to the people of SA, just like every other party will.”

While both major state parties were hesitant to attack Senator Xenophon before he had announced where he was running candidates, SA’s two most senior federal Liberals did. Education Minister Simon Birmingham pilloried Senator Xenophon as the “ultimate attention seeker”, while Defence Industries Minister Christopher Pyne said the SA Best leader was “merely interested in politics, rather than solutions for our state”.

The criticism was echoed by Australian Conservatives MP Rob Brokenshire, who said Senator Xenophon was a populist who had repeatedly aligned with the Greens.

“It’s time the public thought about … what does he achieve apart from populism,” he said.