Whilst the plight of South Australia is due to the malpractice and mismanagement of the current 14 year old Labor government, it is useful to reflect on who gave the government its start.
This person is in fact John Wayne Olsen, former SA Liberal Opposition leader, Federal Senator, and finally SA Premier.
Mr Olsen's other claims to fame include bare-foot water-skiing on the River Murray, and his full post-nominals of NIA (National Institute of Accountants, the lowest rung of the profession).
When he returned to the SA parliament he expected that he would become Opposition Leader, and then Premier at the 1993 Labor-wipeout election, in the aftermath of the State Bank debacle. He was beaten to this position by Dean Brown.
Mr Olsen white-anted the government in which he was a senior minister. He became the first person to overthrow a sitting Premier in their first term, more than 15 years before it was done to Rudd, Gillard and then Abbott.
As Premier, Mr Olsen privatised ETSA having promised not to.
He also alienated Peter Lewis, a conservative independent MP, which eventually rebounded when Mr Lewis accepted the Speakership, allowing Mike Rann to form a minority government.
Finally, a District Court judge (Clayton) found against Mr Olsen in an enquiry into Mr Olsen's use of public assets in seeking to bring Motorola to Adelaide. Mr Olsen said later that '...the only thing I was guilty of was trying to bring jobs to SA...' Unfortunately for him, he lost the Premiership as a result of this finding.
He was given the job of consulate leader in Los Angeles, and now he is back in Adelaide, he is president of the SANFL. Rewards for the failed.
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