Independent senator Nick Xenophon is threatening to field lower house candidates in key Liberal-held seats in Adelaide in a move that could help Labor oust ministers Christopher Pyne and Jamie Briggs from their seats.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Senator Xenophon told Fairfax Media he would preference against the Liberals at the next federal election if the Coalition did not honour its promise to build the next generation of submarines in Australia. This could top up any Labor candidate's vote and potentially propel the opposition to victory in the key marginal seats.
He confirmed he would field candidates in Mr Pyne's seat of Sturt, Mr Briggs's seat of Mayo and others including Hindmarsh, which the Coalition won from Labor at the last election.
"The whole idea is for the Libs to do the right thing on submarines," he said.
"I just want them to keep their promise. If they break their promise, they will be broken in the electorate."
Mr Pyne hit back and urged Senator Xenophon to be more constructive.
"Rather than playing endless political games, Senator Xenophon should help assist the [Adelaide-based ship builder] ASC put together a competitive bid for the new submarine project as part of a joint venture with another submarine builder," Mr Pyne said.
Senator Xenophon recently established his own party Nick Xenophon Team (NXT). The party's website says NXT will announce its candidates for the next federal election by the middle of this year.
One South Australian Liberal described Nick Xenophon as "unbelievably popular" in South Australia. Senator Xenophon fell just short of two quotas in the 2013 election, which nearly cost the Liberals their second spot, currently held by junior minister Simon Birmingham.
The Nick Xenophon Group Senate candidates polled strongly at the last election falling just 5 per cent shy of the Liberals' vote in the seats being targeted.
In Boothby, Liberal MP Andrew Southcott improved his margin from below one per cent to seven per cent on the back of Labor's Rudd-Gillard wars. But since then the Coalition's position in the opinion polls has declined substantially, meaning his seat would be under threat.
In 2013, Nick Xenophon won 26 per cent of the Senate vote in Boothby, just 1 per cent short of the Liberals' 27 per cent. However, Senator Xenophon is not up for re-election in the 2016 poll, which some Liberals believe could temper the strength of his vote.
Dr Southcott described Senator Xenophon's threat as "hypothetical and premature".
"I'm not going to speculate, I'm just focusing on getting the best possible decision on submarines for South Australia," he said.
"By the end of the year we should have a clear idea of where we're going on future submarines and naval shipbuilding in Australia.
"I'm encouraged by the minister's recent comments."
In Mary 2013, the then opposition's Defence spokesman David Johnston promised that the Coalition would make locally built subs its "number one priority" in government.
"The Coalition today is committed to building 12 new submarines here in Adelaide, we will get that task done, and it is a really important task, not just for the Navy but for the nation," Senator Johnston said at the time.
But as Defence minister he derided ASC and said he would not trust them to build a canoe. David Johnston was replaced as minister by Kevin Andrews late last year. Mr Andrews has since announced a "competitive" process aimed at maximising Australian involvement. Japan, France and Germany have been named as potential international partners.
