A court has granted former South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs permission to travel overseas, in his first appearance on drug charges.
Speirs, 39, has been embroiled in controversy since stepping down from the leadership on August 8, declaring that he had “just had a whiff” of leadership speculation and did not have the energy to continue fighting.
He originally faced two charges of supplying a controlled substance on Aug. 2-3 and Aug. 9, but one charge was dropped and the other was amended.
The former leader is now accused of supplying or administering a drug (not cannabis) to another person between August 1 and 10 in Kingston Park.
In court, his lawyer Dominic Agresta asked that his client’s bail be modified to allow him to travel abroad.
Prosecutors agreed to have Mr. Speirs’ passport returned, but he must present his itinerary to police and provide a guarantor for $15,000, with a similar cash guarantee.
No details were given in court about his fate, but he was ordered to report to the police upon his return from abroad and return his passport.
Outside court, Speirs said he would not speak specifically about what happened in court.
David Speirs led the court for the first time since a “white powder” scandal saw him step away from the South Australian Liberal Party.
The state Liberal leader initially claimed a video circulating about him was “deepfake.”
“That’s not appropriate,” he said.
“However, I recognize that this has been a very difficult time for me personally, a very difficult time for my friends and family.”
He thanked the “hundreds of people in South Australia who have been so supportive and have stopped by to see if I’m okay.”
“It’s actually sustained me during this time,” he said.
‘I didn’t need to leave parliament. “There was no obligation to do so… I couldn’t fulfill my responsibilities as a member of parliament and also look after my mental health and wellbeing through this process.”
Speirs resigned from parliament on October 15, paving the way for a by-election in his south Adelaide seat on Saturday.
He said serving black voters was “the greatest privilege of my life…and I will miss it.”
He said Liberal candidate Amanda Wilson had been subjected to the “brutal machinery of the Labor Party in the same way I have been over the years”.
“The misogynistic campaign, the harassment, the evil, but Amanda is above that and I wish her all the best and I have cast my vote for Amanda,” he said.
On September 9, News Corp published a video purportedly showing Speirs inhaling a powder.
He declared the images “deepfake” and promised to clear his name.
Two days later, he took medical leave, saying the past few days had been “exceptionally distressing” and that he felt “exceptionally vulnerable and at risk.”
On October 5, Speirs released a video statement saying he did not believe I could “adequately and effectively serve my local community while addressing this matter, protecting my mental health and supporting my family and friends.” .
“Since the allegations of illicit substance use in my home became public, armed police raided my home, arrested me and interrogated me,” he said.
His case returns to court on March 4.