Tory Shepherd: Bob Day’s resignation a sad end to a twisted tale

BOB Day’s resignation is a sad end to a twisted tale, writes Political Editor Tory Shepherd.

Bob Day. AAP Image/Lukas Coch.

• NEWS: Bob Day resigns from the Senate
• THE SENATE: Bob’s exit a shock, so what now?
• THE VICTIMS: Angry tradies descend on office
• THE COLLAPSE: Two mistakes led to bankruptcy
• IN-DEPTH: Long Day’s journey into night

THAT’S that then. Family First (now former) Senator Bob Day has resigned.

Any hopes of a superhero investor saving the day seem to have vanished.

With it have gone the Government’s dependable supporter, someone who voted with them most of the time.

We don’t yet know who will replace him, and how much they will play ball on that crossbench.

Mr Day has written to Senate President Stephen Parry.

He will now focus his full attention on Home Australia and presumably to his original pledge to pay back every cent that is owed to creditors in the wake of his company’s collapse.

That figure is assumed to be around $38 million.

It’s a sad end to a twisted tale; Mr Day’s construction empire had been faltering for years.

He stumbled trying to juggle both the business and his Senatehood.

Both would be considered more than fulltime jobs.

Then he thought he was saved by a promise of US$20 million.

That evaporated; he resigned.

But then he thought he was saved again, this time by an unnamed investor.

So he shelved his resignation. Again, the offer seems to have disappeared.

Each move he has made has been closely followed by the more than 200 families waiting for their homes to be finished, by the creditors, and of course by the contenders for his position.

And each move those contenders make will be scrutinised intimately by the Government, who is facing yet another wildcard in Parliament House.

Originally published as Tory Shepherd: Bob Day’s resignation a sad end to a twisted tale