Peter Lewis dead: Former Speaker of the House passes away at 75
UPDATED: CONTROVERSIAL former state parliamentary Speaker Peter Lewis, who propelled Labor into power in 2002, is proving as divisive in death as he did at the height of his powers.
CONTROVERSIAL former state parliamentary Speaker Peter Lewis, who propelled Labor into power in 2002, is proving as divisive in death as he did at the height of his powers.
Mr Lewis, whose passing aged 75 was announced on Thursday, was hailed by Premier Jay Weatherill as an effective Speaker and independent thinker.
But some former parliamentary colleagues privately decried his legacy, branding him a duplicitous character.
His about-face in February, 2002, put Labor into government, ultimately delivering an uninterrupted term spanning at least 16 years.
The independent MP handed power to Labor just 90 minutes after signing a working agreement to support the Liberals after the close 2002 election. At the time, Mr Lewis had been an independent for less than 18 months, having been expelled from the Liberal Party in 2000 after years of defying the party line.
Until then, the former self-employed marketing and management consultant had held Murray Mallee electorates for the Liberals since 1979.
In his first statement as Speaker, on March 5, 2002, Mr Lewis said he had “searched my soul deeply” before backing Labor and declared “the Liberals will recover after a few good, long, cold showers.
Premier Jay Weatherill paid tribute to Mr Lewis ahead of State Parliament Question Time on Thursday but said there were no plans for a state funeral.
“Peter Lewis certainly had an independence of thought and proved to be an effective Speaker.
“He sat in Parliament for a quarter of a century and led a colourful and, at times, controversial political career.
“I extend my sympathies — on behalf of the State Government — to the family and friends of Peter Lewis.”
Speaker Michael Atkinson, who served in parliament with Mr Lewis for 12 years, said he could, on his day, be “the most insightful, lucid and intelligent Member”.
“He delivered to his constituents a ban on commercial fishing and netting in the River Murray that gave recreational anglers and tourists a better chance of catching an edible fish,” Mr Atkinson said.
“He compelled the State Government to wage war on the invasive farm weed branched broomrape but this could never be a success because of the nature of the weed.”
The Speaker said Mr Lewis’s support for Labor in 2002 made him the target for a smear campaign by some Liberal MPs and “their ally in tabloid television”.
“Peter must have had superhuman qualities to endure this,” Mr Atkinson said.
Former MPs contacted The Advertiser to criticise Mr Lewis’s political legacy but declined to speak on the record.
Considered an eccentric, Mr Lewis became embroiled in unsubstantiated allegations about a serving politician being involved in illegal sexual conduct when volunteers in his office sent them to media outlets in 2005.
Labor turned against Mr Lewis, with the-then deputy premier Kevin Foley demanding an apology for his “shameful” and “reckless behaviour”.
Two of his staff members were later charged with criminal defamation after they faxed the media the names of two political figures and two police officers, claiming they were paedophiles.
The two were later cleared by a jury of the charges.
Mr Lewis resigned as Speaker ahead of a no-confidence motion against him and served in parliament until 2006, when he unsuccessfully stood for the Upper House.
He was renowned for colourful comments, including during a voluntary euthanasia bill in 1993 when he described shooting a mortally wounded UN aid project colleague in the jungles of Thailand after being ambushed by guerillas in 1967.
During a 2000 debate about sex work legislation reform, Mr Lewis said it was possible to organise an orgy in Adelaide and “incorporate the animals of your choice”. “In those places in the world where you can’t afford to buy another human being, what they do is paint up a tree log that’s been hired out for you and fit it up with a duck,” the-then Liberal MP said.