‘Disappointed’: Opposition leader David Speirs speaks out after Tim Whetstone steps down for losing licence

The Opposition Leader says he never asked why local Riverland MP Tim Whetstone’s friends were driving the pair around during a flood tour – discovering later he’d lost his licence.

David Speirs has spoken out after Senior Opposition MP Tim Whetstone stood down as road safety spokesman after revealing he has relinquished his licence. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Opposition leader David Speirs has spoken out after former opposition road safety spokesman Tim Whetstone stood down after he relinquished his driver’s licence for racking up too many speeding fines.

Mr Speirs on Sunday said he “didn’t know a great deal” about the situation until a couple of days before.

“When it was brought to my attention I requested that Mr Whetstone attend a meeting in my electorate office in Hallett Cove, quite a drive from Renmark, and he and I had a frank, serious and difficult discussion,” Mr Speirs said.

Mr Speirs said he was shocked Mr Whetstone kept his suspension from him, considering he had visited Mr Whetstone during the period when he’d lost it.

Mr Speirs said he understands Mr Whetstone had been driven around by his friends while his licence was suspended.

He said the MP’s friends drove him and Mr Whetstone around the Riverland while touring flood-hit areas but said he hadn’t wondered why that was the case.

“I visited him a number of times, I’ll be paying very close attention about who is driving me next time I visit regional colleagues,” he said.

Facebook photos of Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone. Picture: facebook

“I’ve probably not got a particularly suspicious mind, I just jumped in and out of cars.”

The SA Liberal Party has confirmed Mr Whetstone brought the matter to their attention on Friday – more than three months after it occurred.

Mr Speirs said in the meeting with Mr Whetstone he expressed his disappointment as leader of the Liberal Party and that he would have liked to have known “a bit sooner”.

“There was an incompatibility with a multitude of driving offences and the road safety portfolio in particular, there’s a level of potential hypocrisy if you’re putting forward policy around road safety and community messaging around road safety and having a not so good driving record.”

Mr Speirs said Mr Whetstone relinquished his licence in September – because of low-level speeding offences – and had it back for a couple of weeks before he told the MP to make the three-hour drive from Renmark to Hallett Cove.

“I felt that making him come down to Hallett Cove was part of the punishment … I feel for Tim, he’s made a mistake but he’s paid the price with his portfolio and he has suffered a fair bit of embarrassment publicly.”

Mr Speirs said the driving offences were low-level.

“It was an accumulation of minor driving offences, most were between 1km over the speed limit and 10, I suppose more up around the 10kms over.” Mr Speirs said.