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| Bob Day resigns from the Senate, effective immediately | Bob Day resigns from the Senate, effective immediately |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Family First senator Bob Day has tendered his resignation to the president of the Senate, citing the withdrawal of a potential investor in his embattled housing companies. | Family First senator Bob Day has tendered his resignation to the president of the Senate, citing the withdrawal of a potential investor in his embattled housing companies. |
| In a statement on Tuesday, Day said he had resigned “effective immediately”. | In a statement on Tuesday, Day said he had resigned “effective immediately”. |
| Day first announced his intention to resign on 17 October but then suggested he might stay on until November to swing support behind his preferred replacement, Rikki Lambert, or to vote on the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill and other legislation himself. | Day first announced his intention to resign on 17 October but then suggested he might stay on until November to swing support behind his preferred replacement, Rikki Lambert, or to vote on the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill and other legislation himself. |
| Day then suggested he could remain permanently if an investor was found to bail out his companies, which owe a total of $37.8m and have been placed into liquidation. | Day then suggested he could remain permanently if an investor was found to bail out his companies, which owe a total of $37.8m and have been placed into liquidation. |
| But on Tuesday, Day said: “While a number of offers for various parts of the Home Australia business have been received, the major investor who has been examining the group’s portfolio of assets over the past fortnight, has decided not to proceed. | But on Tuesday, Day said: “While a number of offers for various parts of the Home Australia business have been received, the major investor who has been examining the group’s portfolio of assets over the past fortnight, has decided not to proceed. |
| “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as a senator for South Australia and I am sorry it has ended this way. | |
| “I will now devote my time and energy to assisting those who have been affected by the company’s closure.” | “I will now devote my time and energy to assisting those who have been affected by the company’s closure.” |
| Lambert, Day’s former chief of staff, confirmed on Tuesday he was a candidate for the vacant Senate position. | Lambert, Day’s former chief of staff, confirmed on Tuesday he was a candidate for the vacant Senate position. |
| Asked whether Day’s resignation indicated he was likely to be named to fill the vacancy, Lambert declined to comment. | Asked whether Day’s resignation indicated he was likely to be named to fill the vacancy, Lambert declined to comment. |
| “I am not making public comment on the preselection process at this time,” he said. | |
| Day consistently voted with the Coalition on most divisions. He had planned to support the government again on its industrial relations bills and the same-sex marriage plebiscite enabling legislation in the November sittings. | |
| Lambert is also a supporter of the ABCC and registered organisations bills. | |
| Before the resignation Labor had criticised the Coalition for its apparent intention to accept Day’s vote if he stayed on in the Senate, despite Day having described his own position as “untenable”. | |
| On Tuesday Bill Shorten said he was more worried about families and contractors “ripped off by his companies” than about Day’s future: | |
| Not as worried about Bob Day's future as I am about the hundreds of families and contractors who've been ripped off by his companies. | |
| According to a spokeswoman for the Family First South Australian chairman and state upper house member, Dennis Hood, nominations for the vacancy will go to the state executive for a vote. | |
| The selected candidate will then be approved by the federal executive and a joint sitting of South Australia’s parliament, although it is not clear that the process will be complete when parliament returns on 7 November. | |
| Guardian Australia has confirmed that Family First’s other South Australian member of the upper house, Robert Brokenshire, will nominate for the position. |