One-time South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs on Friday confirmed a tilt at his old seat of Black, in Adelaide's southwest, as an independent candidate in the upcoming state election.
In a video posted on Instagram, Speirs acknowledged the "mental health crisis" and "self-inflicted" nightmares that led him to resign from parliament in 2024.
The former Liberal leader, who pleaded guilty in court to supplying cocaine to two people at his home while he was an MP, was convicted in 2025 and handed a $9000 fine and 37.5 hours of community service.
"I failed myself and I failed you," he said.
"Second chances are not given easily. They are earned.
"I have hit rock bottom but I've bounced back up again and perhaps that makes me a better representative going forward."
South Australian government minister Blair Boyer slammed the former MP, saying Speirs' story was not one of someone who made an error and had redeemed themselves.
"There was a whole pattern of behaviour here and a refusal to take any responsibility for what took place," he told reporters on Saturday.
He demanded Liberal leader Ashton Hurn rule out a preference deal with Speirs and said Labor would preference him last below One Nation.
A Liberal Party spokeswoman on Saturday confirmed the party would preference its former leader last and spruiked its candidate Rhees Bishop.
"Rhees is a local, a father and is the only ambo running for a major party in this election," she said.
The now-independent Speirs said he decided to run because he'd had a "gut full of party politics" and had "got the scars on my back to prove it".
However, Mr Boyer took him to task for what he claimed was an attempt at "pointing to conspiracy theories".
He said Speirs' candidacy undermined the state's political system and urged voters in Black not to get sucked in by heavily produced videos and stories of redemption.
"He played into a sense that there was a conspiracy behind everything and suggested that it was dark forces at play, perhaps with the involvement of (South Australia Police)," Mr Boyer said.
Asked if Labor would legislate to prevent someone with a conviction from entering politics, Mr Boyer said that could be an option to help rebuild trust with the community.
"The discussion needs to be had, at least to clear up what the rules are in some way, around what qualifies as some offence that rules you out from being able to run for or sit in parliament again," he said.
The Electoral Commission of South Australia said a person's eligibility to run as a candidate in the state's lower house would be assessed and decided against the Electoral and Constitution Act, with approved candidates to be publicly declared on Monday.
Speirs will also be up against Labor's Alex Dighton, who won the by-election in his former seat, when voters head to the polls on March 21.
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