25 Facts About Bob Such

Robert Bruce Such was a South Australian politician.

Bob Such was the member for the seat of Fisher in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1989 until his death in 2014.

Bob Such defeated Labor MP Philip Tyler at the 1989 election and was a member of the Liberals until 2000 when he became an independent.

Bob Such was Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, and Minister for Youth Affairs, in the Brown Liberal government from 1993 to 1996.

Bob Such served as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly for the Rann Labor government from 2005 to 2006.

Bob Such was joint Father of the House with Michael Atkinson from 2012.

Bob Such grew up in Hawthorndene, South Australia and attended Coromandel Valley Primary School and Goodwood Boys Technical High School.

Bob Such gained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Politics and a PhD in Environmental Politics from Flinders University.

Bob Such gained a Diploma of Teaching from what is the University of South Australia and a Diploma of Education from the University of Adelaide.

Bob Such was first elected as a Liberal MP for the seat of Fisher at the 1989 election, defeating Labor MP Philip Tyler with a 3.1 percent two-party margin from a 4.2 percent two-party swing, and went on to increase his margins.

Bob Such was the Shadow Minister for Further Education, Employment and Youth Affairs and when the Liberal Party won the 1993 election landslide, he became the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education and the Minister for Youth Affairs.

In Olsen's ministerial reshuffle, Bob Such was moved to the backbench.

In 2000, Bob Such began to voice discontent with the Liberal Government, notably the contrast between its 'obsession with money' and spending on dubious projects.

When former Kingston Liberal federal MP Susan Jeanes announced her intention to contest Liberal preselection in Fisher, Bob Such quit the Liberal Party, claiming he was disgruntled with the lack of support from his Liberal parliamentary colleagues.

Bob Such retained Fisher as an independent in the 2002 election with a primary vote of 33.5 percent and a final two-candidate-preferred vote of 62.1 percent over Jeanes after receiving Labor preferences.

Bob Such was elected to the position of Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees in February 2002.

Bob Such became Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly in a Labor government from 2005 to 2006 after Peter Lewis resigned as Speaker.

Bob Such was a member of many parliamentary committees, including the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, Social Development Committee, and the Economic and Finance Committee.

Bob Such was a member of numerous community and school groups, several of which focused on the environment, including the Nature Conservation Society of SA Inc.

Bob Such received a primary vote of 45.2 percent, an increase of 11.7 points.

Bob Such's margin remained virtually unchanged at the 2010 election, on 16.6 points.

Bob Such retained Fisher at the 2014 election on a significantly decreased 9.4 percent margin.

Bob Such had not indicated whom he would support in a minority government when, a week after the election, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Bob Such was diagnosed with a brain tumour one week after the 2014 election.

Bob Such died at the Daw House Hospice on 11 October 2014.