Brian Harradine was never an ALP senator. He was elected in 1975 as an independent Tasmanian senator and served in the senate as an independent voice for thirty years.

I wonder Malcolm if that job overseas is still open? I'd rather have in your words Krusty the Clown looking after SA interests in the upper house then some party hack not allowed to have their own opinion.

The construction of the Senate will be interesting what with Hanson, this X fellow and the Greens.

I'm not adverse to a bit of poltical theatre and we've seen some whacko senators come out of SA - Coulter and Lees being two - although Qlds has had its share.

Is the Adelaide electronic media that bad? Is it a one horse newspaper town? I too have my reservations about voting blindly for parties but one has to be circumspect about voting for Independents too. I had a look on Mr Xenophon's website and it looked childish. Seems like he's simply against things. Beware the shadow reactionary.

NickX is very astute, he only plays and works for the easy issues. In other words goes for the basic common denominator...Emotion.
Single issues that provide for his personal media persona needs.
He came in on the anti-pokie label, yet pokies are sill alive and well, in abundance.
Sorry NickX but 4 out 10 for achievement. Respect your Ego, though not the results of your Ego!

When the constitution was decided I imagine the intent was to have a Senate that protected the rights of each State against exploitation by the federation.

In recent times, given slender balances of power in the Senate, I think some individuals have been able to exploit the Commonwealth. I think of Brian Harradine's power in being able to press his personal social morality and Tasmanian self interests - in my view to the detriment of the Commonwealth.

So, in my opinion in these days we do not want independent senators who push personal moralities or parochial state issues. If we elect an independent it ought be someone who is statesperson at the level of the nation. A lot to ask for given the nature of our political system. Far better to have a Senate balance of power by a party that looks at things from an Australia-wide perspective.

Good comment Fencepost. I need to brush up a bit on SA politics but surely, if as this article suggests, no one is going to vote for a guy just because he's against pokies.

From my experience, many hotel and club owners have had to sell their pokie licences back to their respective state governments to cash up and build outdoor smoking areas.

I understand the push for Independents but isn't it better to have either the Greens or the Democrats or the Green Democrats making decisions for the broad base of electors?

My worry about these last minute tilts at the Senate is that we'll elect single issue or duo issue candidates purely on popularism. My second concern is that there's nothing more useless than an Independent Senator in a Senate that isn't hung.