Senator Rex Patrick forms own party Rex Patrick Team, following split from Centre Alliance
Having quit Centre Alliance, Rex Patrick has formed his own party and plans to run at least one other candidate under his banner.
SA News
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Former Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick, who quit the party in August, is setting up his own outfit to run for re-election in the next federal election, which is due in 2022.
Senator Patrick has applied to register The Rex Patrick Team as a political party with the Australian Electoral Commission.
He said he planned to run one other candidate for the Senate at the next federal election, but had no plans to run candidates in the House of Representatives or in the next state election.
Senator Patrick said the main reason for registering as a political party was “to ensure that there will be an option above the line for voters to indicate their support for me.
“It’s more important than ever that SA keeps a strong and independent voice in the Senate to ensure that our state isn’t taken for granted by the major federal political parties, which are all dominated by the political and economic interests of Australia’s eastern coast,’’ he said.
Senator Patrick joined the national upper house in 2017 when he replaced Nick Xenophon who departed for his ill-fated bid to win a seat in the state parliament.
The Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) then became Centre Alliance federally.
Senator Patrick has been highly critical of his former Centre Alliance colleagues, Mayo’s Rebekha Sharkie and Senator Stirling Griff in recent weeks for supporting the Government’s higher education bill.
Other parties applying to the AEC to change their names include the No5G Party, Independents for Climate Action Now and the Save Our One Planet Alliance.