Sam Duluk

Samuel John Duluk is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the South Australian House of Assembly since 2015, representing Davenport until 2018 and then Waite. He is an independent, but was formerly a Liberal.[1]

Sam Duluk

MP
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly
for Waite
Assumed office
17 March 2018
Preceded byMartin Hamilton-Smith
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly
for Davenport
In office
31 January 2015 – 17 March 2018
Preceded byIain Evans
Succeeded bySteve Murray
Personal details
Born
Samuel John Duluk

Mildura, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Political partyIndependent (since 2020)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal Party (2015–2020)
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide
OccupationAccountant

Early life

Duluk was born in the Victorian town of Mildura, and is descended from post-war migrants from Poland.[2] He was raised in Adelaide and educated at Marryatville High School, then graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Adelaide, working as an accountant in the banking industry. He was state president of the South Australian Young Liberal Movement.[3]

Parliament

Duluk won Davenport at a 2015 by-election, despite a five percent two-party-preferred swing against him, which turned the historically safe Liberal seat of Davenport in to a marginal one for the first time.[4] After a redistribution transferred most of his constituents to the neighbouring seat of Waite, Duluk opted to contest Waite and won.

Assault allegations

On the first sitting day of 2020, Duluk expressed regret for several alleged instances of inappropriate behaviour at a parliamentary Christmas party in December 2019. The Speaker, Vincent Tarzia, commissioned a private investigator to produce a report into Duluk's conduct, which allegedly included slapping SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros on the backside and making racist and homophobic comments to other MPs.[5] A week later, after police confirmed Duluk had been reported for "basic assault" over the incident concerning Bonaros, the South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, said that Duluk could no longer attend meetings of the Parliamentary Liberal Party. Duluk subsequently announced that he would take leave from parliament and suspend his membership of the party while the matter was under investigation.[6] In April, he was summonsed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 6 October 2020. He apologised in parliament for his behaviour and said he was seeking help in combating an alcohol problem.[7] IN October, Duluk's lawyers asked the court for access to a private investigator's report to the speaker of the House of Representatives. The matter returned to court in December 2020 when the new Speaker of the House claimed that the draft report was covered by parliamentary privilege. Neither side contested the claim and the case will next be heard in court in February 2021.[8]

References
  1. 2015 Davenport by-election: Antony Green ABC
  2. Duluk, Sam. "Maiden speech". Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. Owen, Michael (26 May 2011). "Young Libs deny rule changes racist". The Australian. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  4. "Liberals withstand swing to win by-election in South Australian seat of Davenport". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  5. Dayman, Isabel (6 February 2020). "'I'm on a journey of recovery': Embattled MP addresses Parliament over alleged inappropriate behaviour". ABC News. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. Richardson, Tom (14 February 2020). "Duluk takes leave from parliament and party after police confirm assault report". InDaily. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  7. Hunt, Nigel (21 April 2020). "Besieged MP Sam Duluk to face assault charge in October". The Advertiser. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  8. Dillon, Meagan (9 December 2020). "Parliamentary privilege claim to keep investigator's documents out of MP Sam Duluk's assault case". ABC News. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
South Australian House of Assembly
Preceded by
Iain Evans		 Member for Davenport
2015–2018		 Succeeded by
Steve Murray
Preceded by
Martin Hamilton-Smith		 Member for Waite
2018–present		 Incumbent


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