Independent member for MacKillop, Nick McBride, will face the Naracoorte Magistrates Court on May 7, next month, facing three counts of alleged aggravated assault charges.
Mr McBride has been charged by police with three counts of alleged aggravated assault by a person known to him—his estranged wife, Katherine McBride.
A South Australia Police (SAPOL) spokesperson confirmed with The [Naracoorte] News that a 55-year-old man from the Limestone Coast was arrested on 10 April at Norwood, Adelaide.
Mr McBride is on bail.
“The matter is before the court, and no further detail will be supplied,” the police spokesperson said.
This newspaper [The Naracoorte News] contacted Mr McBride for comments. Our efforts for a comment remained unsuccessful when this edition went to press.
However, his electorate office in Naracoorte said:
“Nick is not going to make any comments on this whatsoever, and the same is with his office”.
This newspaper [The Naracoorte News] has also contacted Ms McBride for comments. No response was received when this edition went to press.
Mr McBride was first elected to parliament as a Liberal Party candidate in 2018.
At the time he was a grazier at Conmurra Station near Biscuit Flat and former president of the Grassland Society of SA.
However, Mr McBride disagreed with several members within the Liberal Party, including former opposition leader David Speirs, particularly following a MacKillop party meeting in 2023.
At the time, he claimed there were “dark forces” and “divisive factionalism” within the party.
In July 2023, Mr McBride announced he was quitting the Liberal Party and would sit on the crossbench as an independent.
It came in the wake of his former wife’s decision in April 2023 to stand against member for Barker Tony Pasin for preselection in Barker.
But the Barker membership backed Mr Pasin with 284 votes compared to 58 for Ms McBride.
This article appeared in The Naracoorte News, 16 April 2025.