South Australian independent Nick McBride, 56, was arrested on Saturday at Conmurra on the Limestone Coast and charged with assaulting a woman known to him.
His lawyer Jane Abbey KC made an application for bail when he appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday via videolink from Mt Gambier.
He was charged with aggravated assault, breach of bail and breaching an intervention order over the alleged incident, and was refused bail by police after his arrest.
Magistrate Melanie Burton noted there had been changes to the Bail Act in 2024, which mean McBride is a prescribed applicant because of the allegations against him.
It means there is a presumption against bail and the application must show special circumstances exist for bail to be approved.
"We say there are special reasons (for bail)," Ms Abbey told the court.Â
"It should be made clear that the charges will be vigorously defended."
After a brief adjournment, Ms Abbey conceded her client was a prescribed applicant, and she sought a report on his eligibility for home detention.
McBride, who was wearing a white shirt and beige shorts, bowed his head.
He spoke only to confirm his name and that he could hear the proceedings.
He was previously charged with three aggravated counts of assaulting the woman on April 10 at Conmurra, and another three charges of aggravated assault were added in October. McBride will return to court on those six charges on January 30.
The home detention report will be presented to the court on January 6, and the prosecution indicated it may make submissions on the application at that time.
Commenting on the case on Sunday, Premier Peter Malinauskas said the situation was "stunning" and he was "not too sure what to say about it".
Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn described the allegations as "incredibly concerning".
McBride won the safe Liberal seat of MacKillop in the state's southeast in 2018, but quit the party in 2023 and has since sat on the cross bench.
McBride has previously said he intends to run for his seat again at the state election in March.
He is also a grazier and his family has owned Conmurra Station since the 1930s.
His great-grandfather was Sir Philip McBride, a founding member of the Liberal Party and defence minister in the Menzies government.
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