Bob Such

Dr Robert Bruce 'Bob' Such is an Independent MP in the Parliament of South Australia in the seat of Fisher. Before entering politics Such was a Teacher/Lecturer and Researcher in the fields of politics, economics and the environment.

Bob Such originally started off as the Liberal Party of Australia member for Fisher in the 1989 election. As part of his campaign efforts, Such parked an old army caravan on Main South Road, in the suburb of Darlington, emblazoned with the slogan "Working for you in Fisher". In the landslide Dean Brown Liberal win in 1993, Such gained the portfolio of Employment and Training, however this ended when John Olsen took over the leadership in November 1996. Unhappy with the Olsen government's style, Such became an independent in October 2000. He also had a lack of party support due to a preselection challenge by Susan Jeanes, the former federal member for Kingston. Such was also known to anger the members of his minority government by crossing the floor, and was regarded as more likely to side with Labor than other non-major party MPs Rory McEwen or Karlene Maywald.

Jeanes won Liberal preselection, however Such retained the seat as an independent in the 2002 election on a primary vote of 33.5 percent, with a final two party margin of 12.1 percent against the Liberals after receiving Labor preferences. The Liberals had Such in fifth place on the ticket, even behind the Australian Labor Party, whereas Labor had Such at second, which increased his election chances. After the election when Labor was one MP short of a majority, the three elected independents held the balance of power. Such drew praise from his district by giving them surveys on who he should support. As Peter Lewis had backed Labor, they responded with a preference of backing the Rann government for the purpose of stability. The Kerin government was ultimately brought down by Such's decision to abstain from a confidence motion when parliament resumed in March 2002, which prevented the need for Peter Lewis to exercise his casting vote as the newly appointed Speaker.

While not voting to put the Rann government in office, Rann has since cultivated the support of Bob Such, often described as a 'small-l' liberal independent, and served as Deputy Speaker before taking on the Speaker's role for the remainder of the term following the implosion of Peter Lewis. [http://books.google.com/books?id=ur28OAgoL50C&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=mike+rann+haydon+manning&source=web&ots=-NZ31BiYw9&sig=vrd3o_WUiPWOJTPB6BamimCZ7_E Google Books: Yes, Premier: Labor Leadership in Australia's States and Territories] . Page 211. Mike Rann chapter by Haydon Manning.]

The collapse of the Liberal vote at the 2006 state election saw Such face a Labor rather than Liberal candidate on the two party preferred vote. Such received a primary vote of 45.2 percent, an increase of 11.7 percent. His primary vote was 18.8 percent more than Labor, and 26.7 percent more than the Liberals. He finished on a margin of 16.7 percent against the Labor candidate.

Such has confirmed he will continue to run as an independent at the Next South Australian state election, dismissing requests by senior Liberals to re-join the party:

I get asked from time to time and in the last week, from two very senior Liberals, but I won't say who they are. I guess it won't be the last time. I'm happy to work with them as I am with Labor but I intend to run as an independent in the next state election. [ [http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24095476-2682,00.html Bob Such to run as independent at 2010 State Election: The Advertiser 29/7/2008] ]

References

External links

* [http://www2.parliament.sa.gov.au/Internet/DesktopModules/memberdrill.aspx?pid=2819 Parliament Profile]