Greek Australian Senator Launches New National Party

Greek Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon has announced he will launch a new political party with candidates in all states and territories.

The name of the new party that will participate at the next federal election will be the Nick Xenophon Team – NXT, according to an ABC report.

“More and more Australians are incredibly disillusioned,” Xenophon said to ABC. “I think there needs to be an alternative voice from the sensible center of politics. We’re not getting that at the moment. We’re getting political gridlock, we’re getting a very toxic nature of partisan politics.”

So far, Xenophon would not name any of his running mates. However, he invites potential candidates to come forward and show what they have to offer. He stated the possibility that he would look to run candidates in both houses of parliament.

“If there is a strong candidate in the Lower House, in a marginal seat, that will keep the major parties on their toes,” Xenophon said.

Barrister Nick Xenophon entered politics in 1997 as an anti-gambling campaigner with the No Pokies, an independent South Australian Legislative Council. “Pokies” is the word Australians use for slot machines. In 2007 he was elected as an independent in the Australian Senate. In 2013 he received almost 25 percent of the Upper House votes. He has a strong support base in South Australia and maintains his strong anti-gambling stance.

“There is a disconnect between the major parties and issues such as poker machines which is a core issue of mine, but also on the impact of free trade agreements on jobs,” he told ABC.

Xenophon was born on January 29, 1959 in Adelaide. He is of Greek Cypriot descent on his father’s side and his mother’s roots are in Peloponnese.