Nick Xenophon calls for overhaul on final day in federal parliament

Nick Xenophon has used his final day in federal parliament to canvass changes that could strengthen the Senate as a house of review.

Nick Xenophon on his final day in his parliamentary office in Parliament House. Picture Gary Ramage

Nick Xenophon has used his final day in federal parliament to canvass changes that could strengthen the Senate as a house of review, suggesting an overhaul of question time and better use of special powers to examine government policy.

The outgoing South Australian Senator yesterday told The Australian the operation of federal parliament could be enhanced through a number of potential changes, including the removal or overhaul of Dorothy Dixers.

Senator Xenophon, who controls three upper house seats in addition to one in the lower house, proposed the Senate use its powers more often to compel the production of documents and provide greater scrutiny of policy and process.

“The Senate shouldn’t be shy about using its powers in obtaining documents and shining a light on policy decisions,” he said. “There’s still scope to improve.”

Senator Xenophon — who is moving to South Australia to contest the state seat of Hartley in the 2018 election — reaffirmed the hardest-fought negotiations during his more than nine years in federal parliament were those over the government’s media reform package.

While he supported the overhaul, Senator Xenophon leveraged his balance-of-power position to secure a $60 million innovation package for regional and small publishers, including funds for 200 cadetships.

“It was the hardest, but the right thing was done in the end,” he said. “We’ve tried to be the honest broker between both sides of politics and achieve good outcomes ... It’s been the most incredible nine-and-a-half years of my life.”

Senator Xenophon said his major achievements included the negotiation of a water package of over $900 million at the height of the drought in 2009, arguing it made a “real difference, not just for South Australia, but for Murray Darling communities.”

He also cited major changes to procurement laws agreed to by the Turnbull government in 2016 to pass the Australian Building and Construction Commission and which were aimed at giving Australian businesses a leg-up when competing for government contracts.

Senator Xenophon leaves federal politics having carved out a reputation as the key crossbench deal maker, using his leverage to pass key government measures but extracting measures in return aimed at boosting Australian industry and jobs — especially in his home state of South Australia.

Earlier this year, he agreed to support the first phase of the government’s corporate tax cuts for companies with a turnover of up to $50 million in return for a series of measures including one-off energy payments for pensioners.

His crossbench colleague Liberal Democratic Senator David Leyonhjelm told The Australian that Senator Xenophon was interested in “artificial job creation” and “parochial support for South Australia” but had no guiding political mission.

“I like Nick,” he said. “(But) I find him frustrating because he so often gets the government in a position where it needs to do a deal with him and he doesn’t know what to ask for because he’s not sure what he stands for.”

South Australian Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi attacked Senator Xenophon for too often siding with the Greens, but acknowledged his knack for political deal-making.

“I only regret he’s used his formidable forces to spend borrowed money that other people are going to have to pay back,” he said.