Theo Theophanous
Encyclopedia
Theo Charles Theophanous (born 16 June 1948 in Paphos
, Cyprus
) is a former Australia
n politician who served in the Victorian Legislative Council
representing the Northern Metropolitan Region. He is the brother of former federal politician Andrew Theophanous
. Before entering parliament he was active in Australian Labor Party
(ALP) politics in the federal electorate of Batman and the then City of Northcote
.
He was also active in the Socialist Left faction Victorian ALP but was later expelled from that faction. He then formed the Labor Renewal Alliance (LRA) with support from Greek and Lebanese branches, which allied itself with and eventually merged with the Labor Unity or Right faction.
In 1995 he was a candidate for ALP preselection for the seat of Batman for the 1996 Federal election but withdrew due to great pressure from within the party for the preselection to be given to then Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Martin Ferguson. There was even the possibilty that even if Theophanus had beaten Ferguson in the preselection, the Federal Executive would overturn Theophanus' preselection and give it to Ferguson.
Theophanus' withdrawal from the Batman preselection meant that he was not able to join his brother Andrew in Federal Parliament. Ironically Martin Ferguson joined his own brother Laurie Ferguson in Federal Parliament.
Before the reforms to the Legislative Council that introduced proportional representation
, Theophanous served from 1988 to 2006 as one of the two members for Jika Jika
and served as leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council from 1993 until 1999.
Despite his experience and the fact he was leader of the ALP in the Legislative Council, Theophanous did not enter cabinet with the election of the Bracks
government in 1999. This did not occur until after the 2002 election when he was given the Energy Industries and Resources portfolios.
On 24 December 2008, Theophanous resigned from his ministerial positions due to pending court proceedings on a charge of rape
. On 24 July 2009, the rape charge against him was dismissed after the magistrate ruled that the evidence against him was not sufficient to commit him to trial; describing the complainant's evidence as "unreliable".
After his accuser moved to Greece, Theophanous subsequently pursued charges of criminal defamation against the complainant in an Athens court. The court found the complainant guilty and an appeal has been filed as of October 2010.
and in a full page spread article by the Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt.
This was followed by an update letter from Theophanous published by the VexNews website.
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
) is a former Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician who served in the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
representing the Northern Metropolitan Region. He is the brother of former federal politician Andrew Theophanous
Andrew Theophanous
Andrew Charles Theophanous is a former Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1980 to 2000, and an independent member from 2000 to 2001...
. Before entering parliament he was active in Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP) politics in the federal electorate of Batman and the then City of Northcote
City of Northcote
The City of Northcote was a Local Government Area located about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1883 until 1994.-History:...
.
He was also active in the Socialist Left faction Victorian ALP but was later expelled from that faction. He then formed the Labor Renewal Alliance (LRA) with support from Greek and Lebanese branches, which allied itself with and eventually merged with the Labor Unity or Right faction.
In 1995 he was a candidate for ALP preselection for the seat of Batman for the 1996 Federal election but withdrew due to great pressure from within the party for the preselection to be given to then Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Martin Ferguson. There was even the possibilty that even if Theophanus had beaten Ferguson in the preselection, the Federal Executive would overturn Theophanus' preselection and give it to Ferguson.
Theophanus' withdrawal from the Batman preselection meant that he was not able to join his brother Andrew in Federal Parliament. Ironically Martin Ferguson joined his own brother Laurie Ferguson in Federal Parliament.
Before the reforms to the Legislative Council that introduced proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, Theophanous served from 1988 to 2006 as one of the two members for Jika Jika
Jika Jika Province
Jika Jika Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council in Victoria, Australia. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1985 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a safe seat for the Australian Labor Party throughout its existence...
and served as leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council from 1993 until 1999.
Despite his experience and the fact he was leader of the ALP in the Legislative Council, Theophanous did not enter cabinet with the election of the Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
government in 1999. This did not occur until after the 2002 election when he was given the Energy Industries and Resources portfolios.
Resignation from Cabinet
Theophanous served as Minister for Industry and State Development, Minister for Major Projects and as Minister for Small Business, before stepping down 'temporarily' on 14 October 2008, following revelations he was being investigated by police for the alleged rape of a woman in 1998.On 24 December 2008, Theophanous resigned from his ministerial positions due to pending court proceedings on a charge of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. On 24 July 2009, the rape charge against him was dismissed after the magistrate ruled that the evidence against him was not sufficient to commit him to trial; describing the complainant's evidence as "unreliable".
After his accuser moved to Greece, Theophanous subsequently pursued charges of criminal defamation against the complainant in an Athens court. The court found the complainant guilty and an appeal has been filed as of October 2010.
Resignation from Parliament
Theophanous announced his resignation from Parliament on 23 February 2010, effective as of 26 February 2010.Press Council of Australia adjudication
Theophanous decided not to pursue legal action against The Age over what he believed were unfair news articles arising out of an alleged conflict of interest friendship between the journalist and the complainant. Theophanous sought an adjudication from the Australia Press Council and those findings were made public on their official website on 30 July 2010and in a full page spread article by the Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt.
This was followed by an update letter from Theophanous published by the VexNews website.