Former Opposition leader David Speirs says he will take time away from parliament to concentrate on his health following the publication of vision which appears to show him snorting off a plate. He has told colleagues the footage is a deep-fake and in a statement said the past few days have been ‘exceptionally distressing’, saying that he was now seeking legal advice on the matter.
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00:00and former Liberal leader David Spears to step away from work.
00:05I support that decision. The amount of pressure on David this week alone has just been immense
00:11and it's obviously caught up with him.
00:13The clip, first published by News Corp on Monday, appears to show Mr Spears snorting
00:17off a plate. He has told colleagues it's a deepfake or artificially generated and has
00:22denied any wrongdoing. Now he'll take leave from his job.
00:26I've been in regular contact with David and I've exchanged some text messages today with
00:31him.
00:32Through a statement he said he had consulted with medical professionals and has been advised
00:35to take time away from work to concentrate on his health.
00:38He said the last few days had been exceptionally distressing and followed a long period in
00:43the public eye, with a feeling of burnout being compounded in recent days.
00:48As a consequence, my emotional health and wellbeing has been significantly impacted,
00:52he said, leaving me feeling exceptionally vulnerable and at risk.
00:56Members of Parliament are elected to be in Parliament, but if people are unwell or ill,
01:02then it's appropriate for them to be given leave.
01:06If the video is real and Mr Spears does need some help, we'd all understand that. Of course
01:11we would. We're all human. We get it. But you can't have it both ways.
01:15Mr Spears quit as opposition leader last month. On Friday, he said having the SA division
01:20of the Liberals put in federal hands should be seriously considered, while earlier in
01:25the week he described the start of Vincent Tarsier's leadership as shambolic.
01:29There's a lot which still isn't yet known about this latest incident, like who shot
01:34or produced the vision, or exactly how it made its way into the hands of the media.
01:38But one thing is certain, this is shaping as one of the most politically damaging fortnights
01:43for the state opposition since it lost government more than two years ago.