Rhys Adams was the SA Best’s candidate for Finniss.
The photo was reportedly taken at Sydney’s Madame Tussaud's Waxworks and is captioned “It’s Chris baby”.
Rihanna was assaulted by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, photos at the time showed her with a bruised and bloodied face.
Brown was later charged with assault.
Mr Adam’s photos were uploaded in 2015, according to the ABC who discovered the photos and approached Senator Xenophon for comment.
Other photos found by the ABC showed Mr Adams appearing to grope a wax figure of actress Toni Collette and tennis player Lleyton Hewitt.
Senator Xenophon told the ABC the decision had been made to remove Mr Adams as a SA Best party candidate.
"There's meant to be a process of vetting for social media [and I am] very unimpressed and quite appalled," Senator Xenophon said.
