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| Rex Patrick | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rex Patrick |
| Birth date | 5 April 1967 |
| Birth place | Whyalla, South Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Politician; businessman; former Royal Australian Navy officer |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse | Lyndsey Patrick |
Rex Patrick is an Australian politician and former Royal Australian Navy officer who served as a Senator for South Australia from 2017 to 2022. A former submarine engineer and small-business owner, he became prominent through advocacy on defence procurement, naval capability and public accountability, leading to election to the federal parliament as an independent. Patrick has been involved in debates over Australian Defence Force procurement, the Collins-class submarine program, and national security policy.
Patrick was born in Whyalla and raised in regional South Australia near industrial and maritime communities associated with the Commonwealth Steel era and the Whyalla Steelworks. He completed secondary education locally before undertaking trade and technical qualifications linked to naval engineering pathways common to entrants into the Royal Australian Navy and Australian maritime industries. Patrick later undertook professional development in engineering and project management connected to vocational institutions and defence industry training organisations.
Patrick enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy and trained as a submariner and marine engineer, serving on platforms associated with the Collins-class submarine fleet built by ASC Pty Ltd and designed with assistance from Kockums. During his service he worked alongside personnel from the Department of Defence and the Australian Submarine Corporation on maintenance, sustainment and technical support. Patrick's naval career overlapped with major capability programs such as the Collins-class sustainment effort, interactions with Australian Defence Force logistics networks, and issues later examined by parliamentary committees and independent reviews into procurement and platform availability.
After leaving uniformed service, Patrick founded and ran small businesses providing naval engineering services to contractors and government-owned entities including ASC Pty Ltd and related supply chains. He operated companies engaged with defence contracting frameworks, tenders administered by the Department of Defence, and subcontracting arrangements involving the Australian shipbuilding base. Patrick emerged as a public advocate on matters of defence procurement transparency and submarine capability, providing evidence to parliamentary estimates committees, engaging with investigative journalists from outlets such as the Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, and participating in consultative forums with think tanks including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the Grattan Institute. He also collaborated with whistleblower advocates and accountability groups contributing to debates during inquiries by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
Patrick first entered federal politics as an independent candidate in a 2017 Senate of Australia casual vacancy when a sitting senator resigned, subsequently contesting and winning a full Senate term at the 2019 federal election representing South Australia. In parliament he served on committees addressing defence, intelligence and public administration, engaging with ministers from the Turnbull and Morrison administrations, and interacting with shadow portfolios held by members of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Australian Labor Party. Patrick used Senate procedures, budget estimates hearings and media appearances to scrutinise procurements such as the Future Submarine program and the acquisition of surface combatants, raising questions about cost, schedule and strategy that intersected with policy positions advanced by the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth of Australia.
Patrick advocated for strengthened Australian naval capability, emphasising sustainment reform for the Collins-class submarine and timetables for replacement programs influenced by strategic concerns involving the United States alliance, the AUKUS framework, and regional security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific including the South China Sea. He pressed for procurement transparency, parliamentary oversight and accountability mechanisms for major capability projects, often critiquing management by agencies such as the Department of Defence and contractors including ASC Pty Ltd and international shipbuilders. Patrick supported measures to bolster domestic shipbuilding and sovereign industrial capability linked to policies promoted by state governments like the Government of South Australia and federal initiatives aimed at sovereign defence industry policy. He took stances on veterans' affairs, advocating for service delivery improvements in agencies such as the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and engaged on issues of national integrity including freedom of information, whistleblower protections and parliamentary reform debated across the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Patrick lives in Adelaide with his family and has three children. He is married to Lyndsey Patrick and maintains connections with veteran communities including associations linked to submarine service and naval engineering networks. Outside parliament he participates in community events, local industry forums and public discussions on defence policy and regional economic development involving South Australian stakeholders, universities and research institutions.
Category:Australian senators from South Australia Category:1967 births Category:Living people