Bob Day stalls on resignation amid clash to replace him

Australian Financial Review Oct 21 2016 10:10 PM

Phillip Coorey

South Australian Family First Senator Bob Day is dragging out his resignation from politics in a bid to ensure his candidate of choice is selected by the party to replace him.  

In a contest that could have serious ramifications for the Turnbull government's policy agenda, Family First's seven-member state executive is due to meet on Saturday to recommend a candidate to be ratified by the federal executive and then rubber stamped by the SA Parliament.

The two frontrunners are considered to be Senator Day's former chief of staff, Rikki Lambert, and Family First  state politician Robert Brokenshire.

Senator Day is backing Mr Lambert who is like-minded and has already pledged to back the Coalition's key industrial relations bills to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission and to establish a Registered Organisations Commission.

However Mr Brokenshire, who does not get on with Senator Day, has warned he will not rubber stamp any of the government's bills, including the industrial relations legislation and that he will drive a hard bargain for his home state in return for  his support.

This has already earned him comparisons to popular SA independent Senator Nick Xenophon.

Mr Day announced on Monday he was resigning after his housing company went bust. But he has yet to send the Senate President his resignation letter and until he does, he remains a senator. He will be automatically disqualified if he is declared bankrupt but even if that eventuates, it could be some months off. 

A source said it was not inconceivable that if Mr Brokenshire gets the nod on Saturday ahead of Mr Lambert, Mr Day may hold on and even return to Parliament when the Senate resumes on November 7 to vote for the IR bills.

Senator Day almost always voted with the government to the point his vote was mostly taken as a given. With the government needing nine of the 11 Senate crossbenchers every time it is opposed by Labor and the Greens, Mr Brokenshire would make this task more complicated, starting with the IR bills, support for which is finely balanced.