Nick Xenophon breaks silence to urge vote for his former Centre Alliance

Former political powerhouse Nick Xenophon is emerging from his self-imposed exile to fight One Nation and Clive Palmer’s party’s pitches for SA’s last Senate spot.

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Former senate powerbroker Nick Xenophon is emerging from self-imposed political exile to argue the case for his former party in a bid to thwart One Nation and Clive Palmer’s party for South Australia’s final Senate spot.

Mr Xenophon, now a suburban lawyer, is fronting a full-page ad in today’s Advertiser urging a vote for the Centre Alliance, which is battling for support without his political star power.

It is a rare emergence from relative anonymity for Mr Xenophon, pictured, who headed opinion polls as preferred premier a fortnight from last year’s state election yet failed to lead his party to a single lower house victory.

Mr Xenophon, who is no longer involved with Centre Alliance or its state counterpart SA Best, said he fronted the ad because his former colleagues could form “an incredibly powerful bloc to fight for SA, and get a much better deal for our state — whichever party forms government”.

“Having Rebekha (Sharkie) re-elected to Mayo and Skye (Kakoschke-Moore) to the Senate will mean SA will have an even stronger voice in Canberra,” he said. Mr Xenophon is in the United States, joining the legal team for a trial starting next week involving an Australian company selling Ugg boots, for which a US firm claims the trademark name.

SA politician Nick Xenophon and his gravy train outside Parliament House, Adelaide, in 2004.

His signed ad, headlined “A Message from Nick Xenophon”, declares he always stood up for South Australia because, like readers, he cared about the state. The one-time political stuntman declares “now is a critical time for SA”.

Centre Alliance strategists are hoping Mr Xenophon’s previous electoral appeal can be leveraged in their bid to head off One Nation and the United Australia Party.

Senator Stirling Griff said Mr Xenophon remained a strong supporter of his former team. Asked why Mr Xenophon had chosen to issue the message, Senator Griff said: “Nick understood the importance of the public being aware that Centre Alliance is the successor to the South Australian-focused Nick Xenophon Team.”

The May 18 poll will be the first since 1996 in which Mr Xenophon has not been involved as a state or federal candidate or member.

He was elected to the state upper house in 1997, before quitting and being elected to the Senate in 2007. He resigned from there in late 2017, making a failed bid last year for the state seat of Hartley.