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Former South Australian Liberal Party leader David Speirs has been fined A$9,000 and ordered to complete 37.5 hours of community service after being convicted of supplying drugs. The Adelaide court handed down the sentence on Thursday following a scandal that shook Australian politics.
Speirs was arrested in September after a video emerged showing him snorting a white substance off a plate, published by News Corp. Initially, he denied any wrongdoing, claiming the footage was a “deepfake” and insisting he had never used cocaine. However, he later admitted that was false, leading to his resignation from parliament.
In March, Speirs pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine to two men in August. His defense argued that he used drugs as a form of “escapism” from the pressures of political life, though the court was told the offenses did not occur in a professional capacity.
Despite requests from his lawyer to avoid recording a conviction — citing future travel plans — Magistrate Brian Nitschke ruled otherwise, stating the seriousness of the crime required both public denunciation and a deterrent effect.
Nitschke noted that while Speirs’ stress might explain his behavior, it did not excuse it.
Speirs, who became the South Australian Liberal leader in 2022 and served in parliament for a decade, did not speak to the media after his sentencing.
