Maverick businessman Vince Scali to change his name to ‘Hadd Enuf’ and run against Premier Jay Weatherill in seat of Cheltenham

A MAVERICK businessman and wannabe politician who says he will change his name to Hadd Enuf to take on the Premier at the state election has been warned his van breaks electoral laws. Believe it or not, the story gets even weirder ...

Vince Scali — who says he will change his name to Hadd Enuf and take on Premier Jay Weatherill in his seat of Cheltenham — with the van that has fallen foul of SA’s electoral laws. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

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A MAVERICK businessman has been warned that a van he covered in slogans attacking Premier Jay Weatherill breaks SA’s electoral laws, prompting him to launch a counter claim against Labor’s campaign bus.

Semi-retired real estate businessman and former Palmer United Party candidate Vince Scali, 71, says he will legally change his name to Hadd Enuf in readiness to challenge Mr Weatherill in his western suburbs seats of Cheltenham as an independent at the March election.

For weeks, he’s been driving around Adelaide in a van emblazoned with Mr Weatherill’s face that also brands him “premier for best liar” and tells people to “vote 1” for “Hadd Enuf”.

The offending van has a bullet point list of claimed failures including high unemployment and power prices, and says “we have weathered enuf o you, no more bullsheet”. Mr Scali plans to soon add a large fake nose to Mr Weatherill’s image, and the slogan “Jay, you’re on the nose”. He is also preparing a new vehicle to target the Treasurer, Tom “Klutsontonis”.

Vince Scali has returned serve, claiming Premier Jay Weatherill’s bus breaks the same rules.

The Electoral Commission has now written to Mr Scali warning that the “Hadd Enuf” van breaches several requirements relating to political advertising and must be changed.

One is that it does not carry appropriate authorisation and his name and address. The Electoral Commission also says Mr Scali’s claims that Mr Weatherill is “highest” for unemployment, taxes and public service pay are misleading. The maximum penalty for each breach is $5000.

The Electoral Commission has also warned Mr Scali that it is illegal for someone to put a political advertisement that is bigger than one square metre on any “vehicle or vessel”.

Mr Scali has been given until next week to comply, but immediately lodged a counter claim over Mr Weatherill’s huge “Jay bus”, which has been on an Outback tour since Sunday. The bus features campaign slogans pushing Labor messages on power, jobs and health. Mr Scali told Advertiser.com.au he believed Mr Weatherill did not follow the law either.

Vince Scali’s campaign van parked on Waymouth Street.

“The law applies equally for everyone,” he said. “If I’ve got a problem, he’s got a problem.”

Mr Scali said he had been getting thumbs ups and cheers while driving the van in traffic.

“All I hear from South Australians is a despondency with Jay Weatherill,” he said. “I am, like most South Australians, pissed off with both parties, but in particular Weatherill.

“I am making a stance and changing my name to Hadd Enuf to run against Weatherill.”

Labor state secretary Reggie Martin said the “Jay bus” was fully compliant with the law.

Premier Jay Weatherill holds a press conference in front of his bus. Picture: Dylan Coker

He said the bus contained more than a dozen individual signs that were all less than one square metre in size and appropriately separated from each other to be legally compliant. Mr Weatherill declined to comment.

Mr Scali in 2015 won a defamation suit against his own brother, and $20,000 in damages, over a series of YouTube videos including titles such as “Evil Sicko Clan” and “Palmer United Psychopath Candidate”. John Scali, 67, admitted producing and posting the videos, but claimed truth as a defence and issued a counter-claim seeking $10.3 million.

John Scali also falsely claimed his older brother had repeatedly defrauded people in business deals, had Botox injections and had sent money to Filipino prostitutes.

He told the District Court he had established his brother was a psychopath through research, including watching episodes of “Dr Phil”.

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