High profile MP Nick McBride in custody over alleged assault of his spouse months out from the South Australian state election
A prominent state MP who is one of South Australia‘s wealthiest men will spend a second night in custody after he was charged over the alleged assault of his wife of more than three decades.
Police were called to a Conmurra property on the state’s Limestone Coast on Saturday morning following reports of a ‘domestic assault’.
Independent MacKillop MP Nick McBride, 56, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, breach of bail, and breaching an intervention order over the alleged incident involving his wife Katherine.
He was refused bail and will appear in Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Monday.
An 82-year-old man from Kingston South-East, understood to be McBride’s father, was also interviewed by police and later reported for aggravated assault.
He will be summoned to appear in court at a later date.
A police spokesperson told Daily Mail that investigations into the alleged incident continue.
The charges come just 83 days before South Australians head to the polls on March 21, where McBride hopes to be re-elected for a third term.
Nick McBride (left) has been charged over the alleged assault of his wife Katherine (right)
The independent SA MP hopes to be re-elected for a third term in March
A prominent grazier, McBride was elected to state parliament in 2018.
His MacKillop electorate covers 34,138 km stretching south and west from the mouth of the Murray River to the Victorian border.
He easily retained his seat at the 2022 election with 62.3 per cent of the primary vote and 72.6 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
However, McBride spectacularly quit the Liberals a year later, blaming ‘dark forces’ and ‘divisive factionalism’ within the party for his departure.
Now an independent, he still holds a largely Liberal stance on social issues.
McBride describes himself as a ‘primary producer, long established business owner, Chairman and board member of numerous local not-for-profit organisations’.
‘Nick prides himself on his approachability, and the open and honest relationships he has with local people of all ages,’ his website reads.
The McBride family is influential in both politics and agriculture.
Nick McBride and his wife Katherine were married for more than three decades
His great-grandfather, Sir Philip McBride, was a founding member of the Liberal Party and served as Defence Minister under then-Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
Their power also extends deep into farming, with the family controlling over 1.1million hectares of land across South Australia and Queensland, making them one of the nation’s largest landholders.
McBride has been campaigning for re-election as an independent.
Daily Mail contacted McBride and his wife for comment.
The couple have been married for more than 30 years and have two children.
Ms McBride is a registered nurse who works in the not-for-profit aged care sector.
She previously attempted a stint in politics when she took on federal MP Tony Pasin for preselection in the safe Liberal seat of Barker in 2023 but lost out to the incumbent member.
