Senator Rex Patrick mulls political future as Nick Xenophon makes a comeback

Independent Senator Rex Patrick believes he is a shoo-in for Grey, but he says the decision is not that simple, particularly after Nick Xenophon announced a comeback.

Independent senator Rex Patrick remains confident he could snatch the outback seat of Grey, but is yet to commit to a decision about his future after his former boss, Nick Xenophon, announced a political comeback.

Mr Xenophon’s Senate tilt seriously dents Senator Patrick’s chances of re-election to the upper house.

Senator Patrick said running for the lower house seat of Grey, which covers his home town of Whyalla, would be the “easy” option, but has not ruled out trying to retain his Senate spot instead.

SA Senator Rex Patrick believes he can take Grey, but the decision isn’t that simple. Picture: Matt Turner

He said his chances of securing Grey would be significantly bolstered after a huge swing in the state election to independent candidate Liz Habermann for the seat of Flinders, covering the Eyre Peninsula and west coast.

Encouraged by the result, Ms Habermann herself has not ruled out running for Grey. Senator Patrick said he was “better known” than Ms Habermann and would have a “good chance”.

🤔 #auspolpic.twitter.com/SOQnSbe9gQ

— Rex Patrick (@Senator_Patrick) March 25, 2022

But Senator Patrick also said there was an outside chance he could still retain his Senate spot if he chose to stick to the upper house, as Mr Xenophon’s name would not appear above the line on the ballot paper.

Mr Xenophon will be teaming up with long-time ally Senator Stirling Griff.

The decision to have a running mate means Mr Xenophon can secure a box above the line on the ballot papers.

But without a registered party name, he will be displayed only with a single letter.

That harks back to his successful 2007 Senate campaign, when he was shown only with the letter “S” on the ballot paper.

During that campaign he paraded down Rundle Mall with a sandwich board and “S” painted on his forehead.

State Independent Nick Xenophon walking down Rundle Mall in Adelaide wearing a sandwichboard and promoting his position on the ballot paper in 2007.

Senator Patrick said “most people won’t understand” the single-letter box.

He said if he ran for Grey, it could open the door for One Nation candidate Jennifer Game to scrape into the Senate, which he said would “be a bad outcome for SA”.

“There is a real chance (Mr Xenophon) won’t get up and that will leave SA with One Nation representing them …” he said.

Senator Patrick had vowed to reveal his decision on Friday, but later said he needed more time. “I’ll declare my intentions very soon,” he said on Twitter alongside a photo of him looking at grey paint swatches in a hardware store.

Without relying on preferences, Mr Xenophon will require 14.3 per cent of SA’s Senate vote. But with the help of preferences, he may only need 9 per cent.

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