No Pokies

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Queen of the Nile (manufactured by Aristocrat), a popular slot machine in Australia, generally referred to as "poker machines" or "pokies".

No Pokies is an independent South Australian Legislative Council ticket that contested the 1997, 2002, and 2006 statewide legislative council elections.

Independents elected from this ticket consist of:

Nick Xenophon, barrister and anti-gambling campaigner, elected in 1997 on 2.9 percent with preferences and again in 2006 on 20.5 percent
Ann Bressington, anti-drugs campaigner, elected in 2006 as Xenophon's first of two running mates
John Darley, former valuer-general, third running mate in 2006 was appointed on 21 November 2007 to replace outgoing MP Nick Xenophon.

Xenophon's vote at the election came approximately equally from both the Labor and Liberal parties.^[1]

[edit] Federal politics

Xenophon resigned from the South Australian Legislative Council in early October 2007 to stand for the Australian Senate at the 2007 federal election in which he was successful, on a primary vote of 14.78 percent,^[2] a swing against him of around six percent from 2006. ABC election analyst Antony Green had stated prior to the election that Xenophon would win a seat, while Centrebet speculated his odds would start on a favourable $1.50 for and $2.70 against. Nick Minchin "urged people not to vote for Mr Xenophon",^[3] with the Liberal Party's 2006 upper house vote only 5.5 percent higher, and polled lower than Xenophon in some booths.^[4]

Xenophon's federal platform consists of anti-gambling, pro-consumer protection, attention to the water crisis, ratifying Kyoto, opposition against what he calls a decrease in state rights, and opposition to WorkChoices.^[1] His addition resulted in holding the balance of power in the Senate along with the Australian Greens and Family First's Steve Fielding. Xenophon has also indicated a working relationship with renegade Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce.