Tim Smith is the former-Shadow Attorney General for the Victorian Liberal Party. Mr. Smith resigned from this position following a drink driving incident. Subsequently, he announced he would not be re-contesting his seat of Kew in the 2022 Victorian State Election. In recent months, Mr. Smith accused the Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party and former friend, Matthew Guy, for misleading the public regarding the circumstances of his resignation.
Drink-Driving Car Crash
In October 2021, Mr. Smith crashed his car into a another vehicle and then the wall of a suburban home in Hawthorne. Mr. Smith was driving while under the influence, with police stating that his evidentiary breath test reported a reading of 0.131, more than twice the legal limit. Mr. Smith's licence was immediately suspended and he was fined. Following the event Mr. Smith stated that he had made a "serious error of judgement" and resigned from the shadow cabinet.
Resignation and Mixed Messages
In September 2022 Mr. Smith accused Mr. Guy of misleading the public by promising Mr. Smith that he could continue to stay in parliament while telling the media that he wanted him to resign.
Mr. Smith stated: "I... got completely screwed over by one person I trusted implicitly.” Following his car crash incident, Mr. Guy had allegedly said to him privately that "I can't win an election without you," and that he should re-contest his seat of Kew. This contrasts with Mr. Guy's statements to media of his "unequivocal position" that Mr. Smith should step down:
“I made it very clear to Tim that he wouldn’t find his way onto the frontbench of any parliamentary Liberal Party that I lead. And I made it clear that I didn’t want him to nominate at the next election, and that I didn’t believe he should nominate for the seat of Kew."
Criticism of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews
Mr. Smith was often critical of Victoria's Labor Government and its leader, Daniel Andrews. In April of 2020 he called Mr. Andrews a "friendless loser," comparing him to the Addams Family character, Lurch. In May of 2020 Mr. Smith referred to Mr. Andrews as "Dictator Dan." In September of 2020, Mr. Smith wore a face mask with the text "DANDEMIC" written across it.
In response to these outbursts, Mr. Smith stated that he was "just doing his job as an opposition frontbencher: confronting the government."
Sources & Further Reading
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-31/victorian-opposition-mp-resigns-from-shadow-cabinet/100583720
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