THE FACTS:

Former Victorian Minister Theo Theophanous has retired from politics this week, after a year he would rather forget.

The 61 year-old, who served in the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Northern Metropolitan Region, will no longer run in the pre-selection race for an Upper House seat in Parliament.

Theophanous has cited the events of the past nine months as the driving force behind his decision.

In September 1998, Mr. Theophanous was accused of raping a woman on a couch at parliament house.

It was alleged that the upper house MP at the time met a female acquaintance at a cafe in Bourke Street near Parliament for a drink.

According to the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, the two shared a few glasses of red wine, before Theophanous convinced the woman to take a private tour of Parliament with him where the incident occurred.

Charges for the case were dropped over the weekend due to unreliable evidence by the so-called victim.

However the lasting effects from the former MP’s ‘trial by media’ has tarnished his reputation and has dealt a huge blow to his ego, hindering his ability to continue his career as a politician.

It has opened up much discussion about how easily the media can ruin careers of innocent individuals and how documented a politicians personal life is nowadays.

THE VIEWS:

Andrew Bolt for the Herald Sun:

“All it took to kill the career of Theo Theophanous was for a mentally unstable liar to accuse him of rape. It didn’t matter that the accuser, let’s call her Helen, was an ‘entirely unreliable witness’, as magistrate Peter Reardon last week found. It was enough that Theophanous was accused of rape, which in this age of victim hood means guilt is assumed and the accuser not questioned. And so this week, betrayed and vilified, Theophanous was obliged to announce his retirement from politics, despite having had the case against him thrown out even before it got to a jury. Thus ended the career of a man who’d been a successful and senior minister under three Labor premiers.”

Magistrate Peter Reardon:

“She was an entirely unreliable witness, I can place little, if any credence on her allegation of rape in this matter. I have concluded in this particular case that the prosecution case is not sustainable. It is inherently weak, lacks credibility, reliability and truthfulness.”

Theo Theophanous:

“It is impossible for one’s reputation not to be damaged in these circumstances, I will try to talk to the premier, if I can, and I will consider what I and my family want to do in the future. I think we have already made a very significant contribution in this state.”

BREAKING IT DOWN:

A) Nowadays, the personal life of a politician is well and truly open to the public eye. Politicians must now understand the serious impact a negative public reputation can have on your career.

In the past, what happened in politicians personal life was generally overlooked? The public would usually turn a blind eye to the wrongdoings or alleged wrongdoings in their personal life. Bill Clinton, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating have all had a history of controversy in their lives but did not affect them or their career. Nowadays, and especially in the case of Theophanous, we have seen that this is not the case.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?

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