Rex Patrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rex Patrick
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Patrick in 2024
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| Senator for South Australia | |
| In office 14 November 2017 – 30 June 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Nick Xenophon |
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| Born | 8 May 1967 Whakatāne, New Zealand |
| Political party | Jacqui Lambie Network (since 2024) |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Royal Australian Navy |
| Years of service | 1983–1994 |
Rex Lyall Patrick (born 8 May 1967) is an Australian politician. He served as a Senator for South Australia from November 2017 to June 2022. A Senator is a person elected to represent their state or territory in the Australian Parliament.
He was chosen to fill a spot in the Senate that became empty when another Senator, Nick Xenophon, resigned. Rex Patrick first joined the Centre Alliance party. Later, he became an independent Senator in August 2020. In January 2021, he started his own political group called the Rex Patrick Team. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a submariner in the Royal Australian Navy. He also had a career as a businessman.
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Rex Patrick's Early Life
Rex Patrick was born in New Zealand. He moved to South Australia when he was a child. He went to school in Whyalla. After school, he joined the Royal Australian Navy.
Rex Patrick's Early Career
Rex Patrick served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1983 to 1994. He trained to be an electronic technician. He chose to work on submarines. He served on several Oberon-class submarines. Later, he was chosen to be part of the team testing the first Collins-class submarine in Adelaide.
From 1995 to 2008, Patrick worked for a company called Sonartech Atlas. This company designed and built sonar systems. Sonar uses sound waves to detect objects underwater.
In 2008, Patrick started his own company, Acoustic Force. It taught people about sonar and acoustics. He worked with customers both in Australia and other countries.
Rex Patrick also wrote articles about Australia's submarines. He believed Australia should buy cheaper submarines. He thought the Collins-class submarines were too expensive. He felt that people who knew about submarines should be able to share their ideas freely.
Rex Patrick's Political Journey
Working for a Senator
Before he became a Senator himself, Rex Patrick worked for Liberal Senator David Johnston. He helped show that the Collins-class submarines were very expensive to run. At one point, none of the submarines were even working. Because of their efforts, a review was done in 2012. This helped fix some of the problems with the submarines.
Senator Nick Xenophon called Rex Patrick "Inspector Rex". This was because Patrick was good at investigating things. He often used Freedom of Information laws to get important public information.
In 2013, Rex Patrick found some secret documents about new submarines for the Indian Navy. He gave some of these documents to a newspaper in 2016. Then, Senator Xenophon gave the full set of documents to the Defence Minister. Patrick was not investigated for this. He kept his security clearance as a naval contractor.
Becoming a Senator (2017–2022)
On 30 October 2017, Nick Xenophon announced that Rex Patrick would take his place in the Senate. On 14 November, Patrick was confirmed as the new Senator. He officially became a Senator on 15 November.
Soon after, Patrick spoke in the Senate for the first time. He asked for more oversight of Australia's intelligence agencies. These agencies collect information to protect the country.
In December 2017, Patrick stopped talks on welfare reform. He said a government minister had not answered his questions properly. He believed the government needed to be more open and accountable.
Patrick was critical of the Future Submarine program. He believed the project manager did not have enough experience. He also pointed out that less of the submarine parts would be made in Australia than first promised.
He also spoke out about a company's tax payments in Australia. He said the company paid very little tax.
In August 2020, Patrick left the Centre Alliance party. He decided to become an independent Senator. He thought this would help him get re-elected. His former colleague, Stirling Griff, said this move removed a "powerful voting bloc" for South Australia.
Patrick also criticized the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. He said they were slow to appoint an Indigenous representative. He also spoke about the cashless debit card in Indigenous communities.
In January 2021, Rex Patrick started his own political party. It was called the Rex Patrick Team.
In November 2021, Patrick opposed the government's plans for a Voter ID Law. He called it "a solution looking for a problem." He meant there was no real issue that needed fixing with such a law.
Rex Patrick Team
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Rex Patrick Team
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| Abbreviation | REX, RPT |
| Leader | Rex Patrick |
| Founded | 26 October 2020 |
| Registered | 7 January 2021 |
| Dissolved | 24 October 2022 |
| Split from | Centre Alliance |
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(2020–2022) |
The Rex Patrick Team was a political party started by Rex Patrick. He formed it in October 2020 after leaving the Centre Alliance party.
The party was officially registered in January 2021.
In the 2022 federal election, the party received about 2% of the votes in South Australia for the Senate. Rex Patrick was the main candidate.
The party was officially closed in October 2022 after Rex Patrick was not re-elected.
After Politics
After leaving the Senate, Rex Patrick ran for Lord Mayor of Adelaide in 2022. He lost the election by a very small number of votes. He appealed the result because of the close margin. However, he later dropped his appeal in March 2023.
Images for kids
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Rex Patrick's signature
