rossbench kingpin and leader of the NXT, Senator Nick Xenophonannounced on Friday he was leaving Federal Parliament to run in the South Australian seat of Hartley in the 2018 State election under the banner of his NXT-aligned State brand, Nick Xenophon’s SA Best.

Facing a High Court challenge to the legitimacy of his election due to British citizenship via his father’s Cyprus heritage, Senator Xenophon was quick to repudiate members of the media attending his press conference believing he was ‘jumping before the High Court pushed him’. He told reporters “I tell you this, I would have made this announcement earlier were it not for the High Court case. The High Court case has been a terrible distraction… the legal advice I have obtained is clear; I should win that case”.

Responding to reports he is ‘giving up his influence in Canberra’, Senator Xenophon declared “they (NXT Senate colleagues) know that this is the best way forward to get the best result for South Australia”.

Seizing the opportunity as a pitch to his South Australian constituents, Senator Xenophon said “we need deep and lasting reforms to put an end to the shallow political games our self-proclaimed leaders like to play, and get South Australia back on the right path. The fact is, Labor has been taking us down the wrong path, and the Liberals want to take us down a dead end”.

Senator Xenophon also took the opportunity to rule out another Martin Hamilton-Smith scenario by taking a position within a Cabinet from outside the Government’s party, saying “if there are a handful of seats holding the balance of power, the worst thing you can do is to take up a Cabinet position because you’re inside the tent. We want to be a fearless watchdog for whomever is in power”.

Senator Xenophon says he expects to be replaced by a NXT candidate, regardless of next week’s High Court verdict. “At the moment we’re in this limbo land… it will either be a casual vacancy or a countback,” said Senator Xenophon.