MEMBER for Mount Gambier Troy Bell has accused state Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis of “under-mining” the state’s judicial system in the wake of his repeated calls for him to resign from parliament.
Mr Bell – who has declared he will fight the $2m theft charges against him “vigorously” in court – said the treasurer’s actions demonstrated how “desperate” the Labor Party was to cling to power.
“The Labor Party will erode basic foundations of our legal system just to score cheap political wins – this reflects more on Mr Koutsantonis and the levels he will go to than it does myself,” the Mount Gambier MP said.
Responding to concerns his focus would shift to fighting the charges, Mr Bell said the reality was he would not get to see the alleged evidence by prosecutors until his next court appearance on December 11.
Mr Bell pledged he would continue to fight for the Mount Gambier district, attend parliament and meet with constituents.
Questioned about the handling of these events by Mr Marshall, who has come under repeated fire from the Labor Party, Mr Bell said the Liberal leader had responded to the situation with “dignity and grace”.
“And for some reason, Koutsantonis thinks that is a bad thing or that is something to be ashamed of,” Mr Bell said.
“I have resigned from the Liberal Party. The leader of the Liberal Party has no direction over my political future.
“Therefore, what is Mr Marshall meant to do – is he meant to join the chorus of under-mining our basic rights and the legal system or carry himself with dignity and grace and accept my resignation and concentrate on ousting this tired Labor government.”
Mr Bell revealed he offered his resignation to Mr Marshall, which was accepted by the Liberal leader.
“I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want my situation to be a distraction for the Liberal Party and their efforts to change a 16-year-old government that has delivered the highest unemployment and power prices,” he said.
“The Labor Party is dysfunctional and has a mentality to win at all costs and is a particularly savage government.”
He slammed Mr Koutsantonis for being hypocritical.
“When one of his own cabinet ministers (Bernard Finnigan) had charges laid against him, we didn’t hear a word out of Mr Koutsantonis,” Mr Bell said.
“And that court case took four years – that is double standards, but that is what I have come to expect from Koutsantonis and his desperate attempt to hold on to power at any cost.”
Mr Koutsantonis – who has released a list of questions – has called on Mr Marshall to front up and respond to the unanswered questions relating to his handling of the crisis engulfing the Liberal Party.
“Steven Marshall needs to explain to the people of Mount Gambier who he expects them to seek assistance from with a local issue that should be dealt with by an MP,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
“We have discovered Mr Marshall planned to be away when Troy Bell was due to face charges in court.
“When the story broke early, Mr Marshall cut a media conference short and walked out on journalists who were still asking questions.”
Mr Koutsantonis said Mr Marshall could not hide from the issue forever.
