The Don is back.
It's been two years since the South Australian Senator, Don Farrell left Canberra, after losing his seat at the 2013 election. But this week he returned for a refresher course of Senate school, ahead of the resumption of Parliament on August 30th.
"It feels terrific, it's almost as if I hadn't left", Senator Farrell told SBS News in his new Parliamentary office.
Since leaving, he's become a grandfather and a winemaker in South Australia's picturesque Clare Valley, producing Shiraz, Cabernet and the region's specialty, Riesling.
Political retirement sounded pretty good. So why come back?
"Well, that's a good question and I did think long and hard about it because I was doing some other things, but I guess I became concerned about the reckless way that the current government was treating South Australia and in particular the manufacturing industry," he said.
"I don't think we should have ever have lost Holden," he said, referring to the car manufacturer's impending shut down in 2017.
Don Farrell is known as "The Godfather" by friends and foes alike, especially in South Australia, where he wielded power for years as secretary of the influential Shop, Distributive and Allied union and boss of Labor's right-faction.
"I guess I've got a face that only a mother could love. But yes, I did support Julia Gillard, I supported Julia when she replaced Kevin and I supported her right to the end and I don't make any apologies about that."
His first time in Federal Parliament from 2008 - 2014 was tumultuous to say the least.
The Senator was one of the so-called "faceless men" who supported Julia Gillard toppling Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister in 2010.
"I guess I've got a face that only a mother could love. But yes, I did support Julia Gillard, I supported Julia when she replaced Kevin and I supported her right to the end and I don't make any apologies about that.
He's seeking a fresh start.
"That's a period in our history which I think is behind us, we've got a terrific leader in Bill Shorten who I've been a very strong supporter of and I feel very confident that we can build on the last election result and my sole aim here, in terms of party politics, is to see Bill Shorten elected the next Prime Minister of this country" he said.
But Senator Farrell predicts history repeating itself on the other side.
"Well, whether the government lasts, I think you can be pretty certain Malcolm Turnbull won't last those three years. He's now making so many mistakes that his colleagues will very quickly start to reassess him and you can already see the writing on the wall in terms of Malcolm Turnbull's Prime Ministership" he said.
Senator Farrell's conservative views on social matters are well known. Unlike the majority of his Labor colleagues, he opposes same-sex marriage. Yet he's comfortable with the Labor Party's official policy in support of marriage equality, as, after much compromise, it allows MPs a free vote.
"I was involved in all of the negotiations at the last ALP National Conference to develop the current policy of the Labor Party. So the Labor Party's policy is that we support same-sex marriage but all of the members of the Labor Party have a conscience vote on this issue."
"I believe there should be a vote of the Parliament on this issue, I think we should vote quickly and try and resolve the issue... In the past I've supported the traditional interpretation of marriage and I'd expect to do that again" Senator Farrell said.
He does not support giving Australians a say on same-sex marriage via a plebiscite or public vote, which the Turnbull government now expects to hold early next year, if it can pass the enabling legislation. With the Greens and several cross-benchers opposed, it would likely require Labor support to get the plebiscite through the Senate, and the Opposition isn't revealing its hand on that yet.
"I don't think the Australian people want another six months in election mode, I don't think it's fair to them," he said.
