SA BEST leader Nick Xenophon says he will make an announcement mid next month on whether he will run a candidate in Mount Gambier.
While speculation is gaining momentum the former senator has cemented a candidate in the Blue Lake city, Mr Xenophon is keeping tight-lipped about a possible contender for the March 2018 state election.
The former federal political kingmaker is hoping to re-enter state politics after resigning from his senate seat.
Speaking to The Border Watch, Mr Xenophon said he was likely to make a public announcement in January about Mount Gambier.
Mr Xenophon – who could run up to 20 candidates across the state – has also called for potential candidates to come forward in regional electorates.
“We will make sure regional areas are not forgotten,” said Mr Xenophon, who foreshadowed running a selection of candidates in regional electorates.
His comments come as incumbent Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell signals his intention to re-contest the seat for a second term despite facing multiple counts of theft and dishonesty charges.
The Liberal Party has also preselected former weather officer Craig Marsh to run in the seat.
Newspoll survey results released this week show the SA Best party is out-polling the Labor government and the opposition in South Australia.
According to the poll published in The Australian, SA Best has 32pc of the primary vote compared with the Labor Government with 27pc and Liberals with 20pc.
Mr Xenophon also stood by the fact any potential candidates would need to fundraise to help pay for their campaigns.
He said it was “unreasonable” for the major parties to criticise given his fledgling party had a fraction of their resources.
“They are major hypocrites,” Mr Xenophon said.
“Unlike the major parties that receive donations from unions and big business, we are on a shoestring budget.”
Mr Xenophon revealed he was asking SA Best candidates to help raise money through their local communities to pay for the campaign costs.
He said these costs included nomination fees, printing corflutes and leaflets.
“We need at least $20,000 to run a campaign, they are costly exercises,” Mr Xenophon explained.
He said campaigns could cost up to five times that amount.
Prospective candidates for Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party will need to stump up $1000 to apply, $20,000 to run and give a cut of their parliamentary income if elected at the state election.
The party will earn more than $19,000 per year for each member elected to parliament, with internal SA Best party material outlining a “contribution from base parliamentary salary” of up to 10pc.
The base parliamentary salary for South Australian parliamentarians is currently $191,324.
The document, provided to The Border Watch newspaper group last week, also revealed details regarding the non-refundable $1000 application fee for aspiring candidates and the upfront $20,000 payment before party preselection.
Nick Xenophon’s SA Best deed for candidates says the application fee is a contribution to administration costs and a review of the candidate’s application, including interviews and training.
Mr Xenophon – who has left federal parliament to contest the Liberal-held eastern Adelaide seat of Hartley – launched his new state-based political party in March, offering an alternative to the major party duopoly.
Earlier this year, Mr Xenophon was non-committal in his decision to field a candidate in MacKillop, but indicated he would target the seat of Mount Gambier.
SA Best currently has six Lower House candidates that will run in the election, targeting the seats of Waite, Mawson, Hammond, Morphett, Heysen and Hartley.
The SA Best website states further House of Assembly candidates will be announced in coming months, while Legislative Council candidates will be announced in early 2018.
Expressions of interest from “community advocates who wish to stand as candidates in electorates that have not been formally announced” remain open.
