Latest news with #DavidSpeirs
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Disgraced former Opposition leader suffers another embarrassing blow months after cocaine scandal ended his political career
Former South Australian opposition leader David Speirs has suffered another embarrassing setback, being refused a liquor licence for his own charity event. The 40-year-old retired from politics after a video surfaced online appearing to show him snorting a white substance. Thursday night's fundraiser, held at the Marino Community Hall south-east of Adelaide 's CBD, was organised to support Speirs' upcoming walk along the Kokoda Track later this month. Proceeds are going to two men's mental health charities, Breakthrough Mental Health Foundation and The Man Cave. The event was promoted as an 'evening of delicious paella, fine wines, and great jazz', but no wine could be served. Spiers pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a controlled substance to another person on separate occasions in August last year. His lawyer had urged the court not to record a conviction, arguing it would prevent him from travelling overseas. But the Adelaide Magistrates Court fined him $9,000, recorded two convictions, and ordered him to complete 37-and-a-half hours of community service. The conviction is why Spiers was unable to secure the licence. Under the Liquor Licensing Act, 'a person is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence if the person has been found guilty or convicted of an offence'. This also includes a 'controlled drug'. A South Australian government spokesperson confirmed to The Advertiser that they would not have granted the request had Spiers requested. 'On 14 August Mr Speirs contacted our CBS (Consumer Business Service) seeking advice on a short term liquor licence for the event he was planning that same evening,' the spokesperson said. 'He was advised of the fit and proper person requirements under the Liquor Licence Act. 'Mr Speirs advised CBS he would not be submitting an application.' The event still went ahead, and did make good on the promise of jazz music, with attendees instead served coffee as a beverage option. Spier's posted on social media saying the event was a success. 'What an incredible night! The room was buzzing and it was amazing to see so many people coming together for such an important cause. Nights like this remind us how powerful community really is,' he wrote. Tickets to the event cost $70, or $55 for concessions. So far Spiers has raised more than $6,200 towards his $10,000 goal, according to his fundraising page. On the page, Spiers mentions his own mental health struggles, which he faced following the end of his time as SA Liberal leader. 'Life can be real tough sometimes. Things happen which are sometimes within our control and sometimes outside of our control and often a bit of both,' he said. 'This can lead people to dark and scary places. I know. I've been there. Some days I still find myself there. But I'm doing well overall thanks to the incredible support I've had from across our community'. Earlier this week, reports emerged that Speirs is weighing a political comeback, with plans to run as an Independent in the 2026 South Australian election. It is understood his frustration over the state's ongoing algal bloom crisis, which has killed more than 400 marine species, is a key factor driving his potential return.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
David Speirs denies misusing email list to promote charity fundraiser
The SA government says it has received a complaint about emails sent by former Liberal leader David Speirs promoting a fundraiser for a charity hike, but Mr Speirs has denied that he has misused private information and described the complaint about him as political 'mudraking'. In one of the emails seen by the ABC, he wrote: "If you're getting this update it means you were subscribed to a mailing list I personally put together where I was a local councillor or Member of Parliament and would have received correspondence from me before". The emails included details to a ticketed community fundraiser on Thursday night to raise money for men's mental health. The former member for Black resigned from parliament in October after being charged by police with supplying a controlled substance. In April he was convicted and fined after pleading guilty to the offence. Leader of Government Business, Tom Koutsantonis, said his electorate office received a complaint, which was also sent to the parliament's Privacy Committee, raising a concern that Mr Speirs may have breached the Privacy Act. "People are receiving emails from Mr Speirs from information that was gathered while he was either Liberal leader or the member for Black and that information is privileged," he said. "It's not his to take once he leaves office, it belongs to the people of South Australia. "He shouldn't be doing that and he should stop." Mr Speirs told ABC Radio Adelaide he did not believe he had misused private data when he emailed updates to a mailing list of people who had signed up to a database via his website over the years. "I did communicate with them to tell people that I was back in terms of doing some public stuff around Kokoda and mental health fundraising," he said. "There is lots of opportunity for people to unsubscribe from that, I've gone over the top with those opportunities because I was conscious of making sure that I used that information carefully. "People signed up for a newsletter and that there is continuity of purpose around what that was used for and that was raising awareness about activities and what I was up to in the community." He added he was "a private citizen now" and did not want to "buy into political sort of mudraking". The former opposition leader said he was not running for election but did not rule out returning to some form of public service in the future. "That is not on my radar. It's not something that I feel today I have the resilience and the strength to rise to that challenge," he said. "I'm not here advocating for them to vote for me today because I'm not running for election. "I am not seeking their vote on your show today. I'm a long, long way from that, if ever." He has previously posted on social media that he planned a journey of the "iconic hike" to raise funds for men's mental health. Mr Speirs said he struggled with his mental health but added that "many of my challenges were self-inflicted". He said he had grappled with "circumstantial depression and a darkness wondering, what the future holds and how to move forward".
ABC News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Former SA opposition leader David Speirs to hike the Kokoda Track for men's mental health
Former South Australian opposition leader David Speirs says he is preparing to hike the Kokoda Track to raise funds for men's mental health, posting on social media about his plans for a "personal journey of restoration and renewal" three months after he was convicted and fined over drug supply charges. Posting on social media on Wednesday to announce his fundraising mission, Speirs said he was "doing well overall thanks to the incredible support" he has received from the community. "Life can be real tough sometimes. Things happen which are sometimes within our control and sometimes outside of our control and often a bit of both," he said. Speirs was convicted and fined $9,000 in April after pleading guilty to two charges of supplying a controlled substance to another person on separate occasions in August last year. Speirs was arrested at Berri, in the state's Riverland, in September last year. His arrest came after a video, published by News Corp, showed the former MP snorting from a plate. The charges do not relate to the video. The former Liberal leader resigned from parliament after the charges were laid. Speirs has previously spoken about his "emotional health and wellbeing" taking a toll during this period last year. He now plans to raise funds, awareness and support for the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation and The Man Cave, a mental health charity supporting teenage boys. His lawyer had told a court in April of Speirs's plans to walk the Kokoda Track to raise money for men's mental health and for his "own rehabilitation and restoration". In his social media post on Wednesday, Speirs said his trip was self-funded and that he plans to share his journey along the "iconic hike", which stretches for 96 kilometres through Papua New Guinea, on social media next month. "Over the coming weeks as I prepare for, and experience, this journey, I'll be providing regular updates on my social media platforms," he said. "I hope to take you on a virtual trip to Kokoda with me, sharing the highs and the lows." Speirs has been contacted for comment.
AU Financial Review
14-05-2025
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
Gina Rinehart's benefits leave Basil Zempilas gibbering
Various arms of the Liberal Party are in a race to see who can wash off the clown make-up first. The South Australian Liberals had their former leader, David Speirs, fined for supplying cocaine last month. The Victorians want to run the country's second-largest economy when it's unclear if they can run a bath. Peter Dutton just handed Anthony Albanese the biggest Labor electoral victory since John Curtin. The well-worn joke about the WA Liberals is that they can all fit in a Tarago (this has run through a second electoral cycle after the party was pasted by Roger Cook last month, leaving them with seven members in the lower house). They're now led by Basil Zempilas, the former AFL caller who is the Wario to Bruce McAvaney 's Mario.
Perth Now
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
The humble corflute causes flutters in the electorate
Political candidate corflutes have been facing the frontline of dirty campaigning ahead of the federal election. Corflute disputes have sparked controversies during the campaign, with signs taken down and stolen by opposing candidates and parties. The relatively innocuous plastic posters have also been defaced and vandalised across multiple electorates. But this hasn't been a problem everywhere - South Australia banned them in February 2024. The ban was in place for the state's last two by-elections, but Saturday's federal election is the first major poll where it has been in effect. Corflutes and other election advertising are banned on public roads, power poles (also known as stobies in SA) and trees, with a maximum penalty of $5000 for breaches. Former SA opposition leader David Speirs, who introduced the legislation in 2023, pushed for the ban to reduce visual pollution and cut waste from single-use plastic. Special Minister of State Kyam Maher says the ban appears to be working well. "South Australians are telling us they are glad to no longer have corflutes filling every stobie pole. Our environment will benefit from having significantly less plastic waste after Saturday's election day". Flinders University political commentator Rob Manwaring agreed that the absence of corflutes had made the election campaign invisible on the streets of Adelaide. "But there's been very little research on the impact of corflutes, particularly in terms of their importance to smaller or minor party candidates," he said. A massive spike in early voting pointed to people wanting to tune out of the election as quickly as possible, he said. "There is disengagement from politics." Australian voters may not be fired up, but corflutes have been repeatedly targeted as candidates fight for prime position and try to handicap their political opponents. There have been moments of levity during the campaign, such as when three women in the affluent Sydney suburb of Mosman defaced a corflute before one realised she'd used her expensive lipstick. "Oh shit, it was Chanel, why'd you let me do that?" one was caught on video saying while drawing a pig's nose on Zali Steggall's corflute. The husband of independent Monique Ryan was also caught walking down the street after stealing a large Liberals poster, which the Kooyong MP has apologised for. Fights have ended up in court and even invoked the constitution after a local council removed Liberal Party A-frame signs from outside an early voting centre under a rule that limits candidates to having one sign on public land. The Liberals are fighting the rule in court after the City of Boroondara argued the signs were a risk to pedestrians and road users while the party argues they were crucial for candidate recognition.
