Victorian Liberal Tim Smith resigns over drink-driving crash
Victorian Liberal MP (formally the Shadow Attorney General) has tendered his resignation from Shadow Cabinet after a drink-driving incident.
Smith was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Saturday night after drinking with friends. The crash ended when Smith's vehicle hit a fence. There were no injuries reported.
According to Victoria Police, Smith presented a breath test more than twice the legal limit and has had his license suspended for 12 months.
Smith released a statement to the press, apologising for the incident.
“After dinner with friends I believed I was under the legal limit to drive home. This was not the case,” said Smith.
In what has been described as a ‘serious error in judgement’, Smith’s political career appears to have come to an abrupt end at thirty-eight.
Statements from Tim Smith & Vic Pol. pic.twitter.com/iwDWwgTViD
— Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) October 31, 2021
As an ally of current Liberal leader Matthew Guy, Smith was presumed by many to be a potential future leader of the Liberal Party. He gained notoriety as being one of the strongest voices against the Daniel Andrews government.
“I apologise to my constituents, my colleagues, my family and the people of Victoria who expect their elected representatives to uphold the highest standards of behaviour."
Tim Smith was the youngest member of the parliamentary Liberal Party when he won the seat of Kew in 2014.
Alexandra Marshall
Australian Contributor
Alexandra Marshall is an Australian political opinion commentator. She is a contributor to Sky News, the Spectator Australia, Good Sauce, Penthouse Australia, and Caldron Pool with a special interest in liberty and Asian politics. Prior to writing, she spent a decade as an AI architect in the retail software industry designing payroll and rostering systems.
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