Hon. Nick Xenophon

Nick Xenophon (born 1959 in Adelaide) is a prominent South Australian politician, barrister and anti-gambling campaigner. Image File history File links Nick_Xenophon. ... Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1. ... Emblems: Hairy Nosed Wombat (faunal); Leafy Seadragon (marine); Piping Shrike (bird: unofficial); Sturts Desert Pea (floral); Opal (gemstone) Motto: United for the Common Wealth Slogan or Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Const. ...

Pre-political life

Xenophon attained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide in 1981, and in 1984 established and became principal of his own law firm, Xenophon & Co., that deals solely with personal injury claims. In this field he became successful, and between 1994 and 1997 he served as president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers' Association. The degree of Bachelor of Laws (or Baccalaureate of Laws) is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries other than the United States, where it has been replaced by the Juris Doctor degree. ... The University of Adelaide (colloquially Adelaide Uni) is a public university located in Adelaide. ...

Political career

After legislation was passed by the Bannon Government in 1992 that saw the introduction of slot machines or 'pokies' into South Australia in 1994, the increased incidence of problem gambling came to Xenophon's attention in his legal practice. At the 1997 South Australian election, Xenophon stood for the South Australian Legislative Council under a 'No Pokies' ticket, advocating the reduction and abolition of pokies. He received 2.9% of the vote^[1] which, combined with preferences from other parties, made him the first Independent ever elected to the Upper House. Categories: Stub | 1943 births | Australian Labor Party politicians | Premiers of South Australia ... Slot machines in the Trump Taj Mahal A slot machine is a certain type of gambling machine. ... Problem gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. ... Legislative elections for State Parliament were held in South Australia on 11 October 1997. ... The Legislative Council chamber circa 1939 The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of South Australia. ... A preferential voting system (or preference voting system) is an electoral system in which voters rank a list of candidates or group of candidates in order of preference. ...

During his time as a sitting member, Xenophon has been an activist for a range of issues aside the elimination of pokies, speaking out on essential services, the environment, taxation and perks for politicians. He is best known for his many media-friendly publicity stunts that have gained him both deep respect and ardent criticism. Xenophon has also suffered severe health difficulties that at one stage forced him to take leave. Brent Butt on a gas station sign A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the Publics attention to the promoters, the perpetrators or their cause. ...

2006 election

Xenophon stood again for 2006 election amid media speculation that he would struggle to be re-elected with the major parties preferencing against him. Despite this, he ran an aggressive campaign described by some commentators as 'anti-political' and received over 20% of the vote, enough to not only to re-elect himself, but also to elect the second No Pokies candidate, Ann Bressington. Legislative elections for the Parliament of South Australia were held in South Australia on March 18, 2006. ... Ann Bressington is an Australian politician. ...

The result was unprecedented in Australian political history; an Independent had never before been so significantly endorsed statewide. His Legislative Council vote of 20.5% was just 5.5% less[2] than the result recorded by the Liberal Party, one of the two major parties. Labor MP Michael Atkinson is even quoted as saying that some polling booths in his electorate had Xenophon polling higher than the Liberals. This series of events led some commentators to call Xenophon the new "third force" in South Australian politics. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... Michael Atkinson is a unicyclist from Moscow, Idaho. ...

References

• ↑  1997 Legislative Council Results - SA Electoral Office
• ABC: Anthony Green's Guide to SA Election 2006 Results - Legislative Council

External links

• Parliament profile
• Nick Xenophon site
• Nick Xenophon MLC
• ABC: Legislative Council Results
• Upper house electoral swing
• Victory for Labor and Xenophon