SA Footy

So what is it that X is actually doing, is he running a party or is he a desk jockey?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nationa ... 93ecbe2234

Nick Xenophon is under fire for taking a $1500-a-week taxpayer-funded salary as a part-time federal political staffer while also campaigning to win a marginal seat at the South Australian election.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall, Greens MP Tammy Franks and Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi yesterday condemned the former senator’s decision to ­remain on the public purse as an adviser to the man he handpicked to replace him in Canberra.

Mr Xenophon quit the Senate a fortnight ago to contest the ­Liberal-held lower house seat of Hartley at the state election on March 17. He said he would remain leader of his federal party, lead his SA Best party and be a marginal seat candidate.

Yesterday it emerged Mr Xenophon is also employed as an ­“adviser” to his own former ­principal adviser, Rex Patrick, who on Wednesday was sworn in as his ­replacement in the Senate.

Mr Xenophon, who was first elected to public office in 1997, said he needed the job to “pay the bills”.

Asked why he was not being paid by his own party, out of its public funding, to run the SA Best campaign, Mr Xenophon said: “I don’t want to be paid by the party.”

Mr Xenophon said he expected SA Best would receive about $900,000 from taxpayers after the South Australian election.

Senator Bernardi said Mr Xenophon’s part-time employment on the taxpayer was a “scandal”.

Under his specially arranged “job-sharing” contract, Mr ­Xenophon will pocket about half of an adviser’s $160,000 annual ­salary.

Senator Patrick refused to ­release Mr Xenophon’s employment contract but said he was entitled to three advisers, “which I can configure in any way”.

Mr Xenophon will receive the same entitlements as other staffers and may be required to occasionally travel to Canberra.

“Nick’s position is part-time. He provides advice on policy, political matters, bills before parliament and so on and can also assist with media advice,” he said.

“Nick will be working in excess of the 19 hours a week he will be paid for.”

Mr Weatherill said the former senator should be concentrating on providing transparency to South Australian voters.

“I think where Nick should be focusing his attention is to reveal to the South Australian community which seats he’s running in — he’s prepared to allow speculation that he is running for Premier,” Mr Weatherill told ABC radio.

“If he is doing that I think he owes the people of South Australia a full slate of candidates in various seats ... so that there can be a proper evaluation of his candidates and his policies.”

Mr Marshall said Mr Xenophon could not be a staffer and lead a party.

“To be a leader of a party is a full-time job,” he said.

“Nick Xenophon got one year into a six-year term. I’ve got a real problem with this.

“I don’t think this is the right thing for him to take this taxpayer-funded job when he’s supposed to be the head of the party that wants to hold control of the parliament in South Australia.”

Mr Xenophon said his “ongoing” contract required him to work for Senator Patrick from 9am until 1pm five days a week.

But Ms Franks questioned why Mr Xenophon was a guest speaker on a Local Government Association panel just after 9am yesterday.

“Nice work if you can get it,” Ms Franks said.

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Nick getting exposed

The bloke that campaigns on wanting to "drain the swamp" is now one of its major participants

Interesting read. Now, who do I believe? Koutsantonis or the ACCC?

Curious Adelaide: Why does SA have the nation's highest electricity prices?

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-17/curious-adelaide-the-problem-of-power/9158240?pfmredir=sm

Had to laugh when Marshall said to the AA boys this morning that "the Liberal party do not have factions and the party room is a united one". Yeah, and the ******* tooth fairy is working over time at the moment due to an increase in lost teeth.

It's this sort of stupidity that could see him back stabbed just in time for them to lose another unlosable.

Booney wrote:Had to laugh when Marshall said to the AA boys this morning that "the Liberal party do not have factions and the party room is a united one". Yeah, and the ******* tooth fairy is working over time at the moment due to an increase in lost teeth.

It's this sort of stupidity that could see him back stabbed just in time for them to lose another unlosable.

There's the Pyne faction..............

and everyone else..............

Steven Marshall and Vick Chapman

I don't know who runs the media department of the Libs but please these 2 are a train wreck !

shoe boy wrote:Steven Marshall and Vick Chapman

I don't know who runs the media department of the Libs but please these 2 are a train wreck !

???

“We came to office in 2002 desperate to show we could manage the finances, although we were not always fiscally virtuous with windfall tax gains.”

Not fiscally virtuous with anything

Koutsantanus has racked up an extra $1 Billion debt every year since the last election
With all the spending on diesel power to get them out of the $hithole they've dug for themselves, we'll be hitting $15 Billion by 30th June next year
Not a bad effort seeing they are getting $1.7 Billion extra GST than they were 4 years ago

Jimmy_041 wrote:“We came to office in 2002 desperate to show we could manage the finances, although we were not always fiscally virtuous with windfall tax gains.”

Not fiscally virtuous with anything

Koutsantanus has racked up an extra $1 Billion debt every year since the last election
With all the spending on diesel power to get them out of the $hithole they've dug for themselves, we'll be hitting $15 Billion by 30th June next year
Not a bad effort seeing they are getting $1.7 Billion extra GST than they were 4 years ago

Kouts is a loose cannon. Its a blight on the people that these guys have been returned year after year. However when the alternative is Steve Marshall it clear why this is the case.

The state badly needs a change, thats clear. But when the "change" is dressed up as Marshall led liberal party it doesnt look great.

Pistol Pete wrote:

Jimmy_041 wrote:“We came to office in 2002 desperate to show we could manage the finances, although we were not always fiscally virtuous with windfall tax gains.”

Not fiscally virtuous with anything

Koutsantanus has racked up an extra $1 Billion debt every year since the last election
With all the spending on diesel power to get them out of the $hithole they've dug for themselves, we'll be hitting $15 Billion by 30th June next year
Not a bad effort seeing they are getting $1.7 Billion extra GST than they were 4 years ago

Kouts is a loose cannon. Its a blight on the people that these guys have been returned year after year. However when the alternative is Steve Marshall it clear why this is the case.

The state badly needs a change, thats clear. But when the "change" is dressed up as Marshall led liberal party it doesnt look great.

Will be interesting to see the effect the X-man has on the current malaise towards both parties.

Magellan wrote:

Pistol Pete wrote:

Jimmy_041 wrote:“We came to office in 2002 desperate to show we could manage the finances, although we were not always fiscally virtuous with windfall tax gains.”

Not fiscally virtuous with anything

Koutsantanus has racked up an extra $1 Billion debt every year since the last election
With all the spending on diesel power to get them out of the $hithole they've dug for themselves, we'll be hitting $15 Billion by 30th June next year
Not a bad effort seeing they are getting $1.7 Billion extra GST than they were 4 years ago

Kouts is a loose cannon. Its a blight on the people that these guys have been returned year after year. However when the alternative is Steve Marshall it clear why this is the case.

The state badly needs a change, thats clear. But when the "change" is dressed up as Marshall led liberal party it doesnt look great.

Will be interesting to see the effect the X-man has on the current malaise towards both parties.

He won't and I'll tell you why (IMHO) It was easy for him to throw haymakers from 10 deep when he was a lone wolf but if he has balance of power, there will also be a large degree of accountability he is neither prepared for or armed with the necessary IP.

He's no good.

Old Red wrote:
He won't and I'll tell you why (IMHO) It was easy for him to throw haymakers from 10 deep when he was a lone wolf but if he has balance of power, there will also be a large degree of accountability he is neither prepared for or armed with the necessary IP.

He's no good.

He's still only got 7 candidates running in Liberal held seats with 3 1/2 months to the election. It's clear whose side he's on and who he wants sitting to the right of the speaker.

Two months after quitting the Senate for a tilt at state politics, Nick Xenophon's new SA Best party is outpolling the government and the opposition in South Australia, a Newspoll shows.

SA Best has 32 per cent of the primary vote, the poll published in The Australian on Tuesday shows.

This compared to the Labor government, with 27 per cent, and the Liberals, with 20 per cent.

Asked who would be the better premier, 46 per cent of voters said Mr Xenophon.

Some 22 per cent plumped for incumbent Jay Weatherill, while Opposition Leader Steven Marshall lagged on 19 per cent.

This year's results compared to a similar poll conducted in 2015, which showed Mr Weatherill well ahead with a 42 per cent approval rating.

Two years ago the primary vote for the Labor government was pegged at 36 per cent, against 38 per cent for the Liberals.

South Australia voters are due to elect the next state government in March 2018.

Mr Xenophon quit the Senate in October to return to state politics.

The poll of 800 people was taken between October 12 and December 17.

I hear there's going to be a debate between the Member for Schubert and the leader of SA Best.
I'm unsure what the purpose is, but it's apparently happening.

Dogwatcher wrote:I hear there's going to be a debate between the Member for Schubert and the leader of SA Best.
I'm unsure what the purpose is, but it's apparently happening.

I can't wait to be somewhere else that day.

Booney wrote:Two months after quitting the Senate for a tilt at state politics, Nick Xenophon's new SA Best party is outpolling the government and the opposition in South Australia, a Newspoll shows.

SA Best has 32 per cent of the primary vote, the poll published in The Australian on Tuesday shows.

This compared to the Labor government, with 27 per cent, and the Liberals, with 20 per cent.

Asked who would be the better premier, 46 per cent of voters said Mr Xenophon.

Some 22 per cent plumped for incumbent Jay Weatherill, while Opposition Leader Steven Marshall lagged on 19 per cent.

This year's results compared to a similar poll conducted in 2015, which showed Mr Weatherill well ahead with a 42 per cent approval rating.

Two years ago the primary vote for the Labor government was pegged at 36 per cent, against 38 per cent for the Liberals.

South Australia voters are due to elect the next state government in March 2018.

Mr Xenophon quit the Senate in October to return to state politics.

The poll of 800 people was taken between October 12 and December 17.

Did you copy that or write it? Booney's fake news

The Liberal Primary is 29% and Labor 27%

But, whatever it is, it shows a good proportion of the people of SA hate the politicians in both the major parties

Copied.

Oh and ;

A statewide poll of 806 voters last week reveals Senator Xenophon as the preferred premier with 41 per cent support, compared to Premier Jay Weatherill and Opposition Leader Steven Marshall both on 21 per cent support, The Australian reports.

Sharpening the knives for Steven?

GhostWhoVotes says 29%

Interesting thing in Post March, if the Liberals don’t get government, will be whether they finally realise that Pyne is not the Messiah