NEWS: Telegraph - 02/03/08 'Treasurer admits to being wild Swan'

[hoptis]

Treasurer admits to being wild Swan
By Glenn Milne
March 02, 2008 12:00am
Article from: The Sunday Telegraph

TREASURER Wayne Swan has admitted to a bit of a wild youth, revealing he had an earlier marriage, smoked dope and his second wife was pregnant when they married.

Despite being in the public eye for about 18 years, there has never been any record of the first wedding or divorce in any official biographical material, including in Mr Swan's entry in Who's Who.

The revelations will prompt a re-assessment of Mr Swan's previously staid image.

News of his past came via university friends spoken to by Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper as part of profile of the Treasurer.

Mr Swan confirmed that he smoked marijuana during his student years and was first married in the late 1970s to Toni Jensen, a childhood sweetheart from Nambour State High School.

But The Treasurer denies he ever kept the marriage a secret, describing it as "common knowledge in the community and amongst people I grew up with and people that I have known over a long period of time".

"You are dealing here with events over 30 years ago," he said yesterday. "I haven't spoken to her.

"She indicated a desire not to be involved and that is perfectly understandable.

"There has been nothing secret about any of these events. They were very public at the time.

"Obviously people find it interesting given my new job. I am just a pretty normal Queenslander. I have been through in my life many of the events that most Queenslanders have been through, whether it's a failed marriage or an episode of cancer.

"These are all things that people go through in their lives. The things that I have found about those events are when you are challenged and you get through a challenge, hopefully you do it in a way that makes you better."

The marriage disintegrated after little more than a year. Mr Swan and wife Kim, who was raised a Catholic, told their two daughters, Erinn, 23, and Libbi, 19 about his previous marriage some years ago. His 13-year-old son Matthew was only told prior to the Courier-Mail publishing the story.

Mr Swan said he now regretted his use of marijuana.

"Like many people around that time I had partaken. I did not think it was such a good idea in retrospect. It is not very good for your health and I would urge people to steer clear of those activities."

He said he had no trouble trying to talk his children out of drug use.

"I have always been very forthright with my children about the dangers of drugs, including alcohol. It is important to look after your health."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was a contemporary of Mr Swan's at Nambour State High School, raising the prospect that he might have both known Ms Jensen and about the marriage.

A spokesman for Mr Rudd declined to answer any questions on the issue yesterday.

News.com.au

 

[hoptis]

Opposition kind on Treasurer's drug use
By staff writers and wires
March 02, 2008 02:18pm

FEDERAL Treasurer Wayne Swan has received support from both sides of politics after admitting to using marijuana in his youth.

Opposition Leader Dr Brendan Nelson today said any "stupid decisions" people had made in their youth were their own choice.

"They're decisions Mr Swan presumably made in his earlier life," Dr Nelson said in Sydney.

"I don't think there should be any judgment should be passed upon them.

"If Mr Swan or anybody else chose to smoke marijuana in their earlier lives, then that's their business."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also came to Mr Swan's defence and said no member of the Government claimed to be a "paragon of virtue".

Mr Swan admitted using marijuana in his student days and said his second wife was pregnant when they were wed.

He also had a little-known earlier marriage.

"I don't think anyone in this Government has ever pretended to be some sort of paragon of moral virtue, least of all, yours truly," Mr Rudd said in Brisbane.

"It was a long time ago, as Wayne said what needs to be said about that, and about the importance of drugs... and I'll leave it at that."

Dr Nelson said he had never smoked marijuana and that it was necessary to educate young people about the dangers of binge drinking, smoking and illicit drugs.

"One of the things I've spent all life fighting against is smoking in any form," he said.

Earlier today Mr Swan said despite his drug use and pre-marital sex in his younger days, it was not a "Mick Jagger experience".

With AAP

News.com.au

 

[Mr Blonde]

Well, at least they are putting more of a focus on alcohol as a dangerous substance.

And kudos to the Opposition for not jumping all over Swan like nymphos at a go-go bar

 

[hoptis]

Anna Bligh got high on drugs as a teenager
March 03, 2008 03:16pm

QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has admitted to smoking marijuana as a teenager in the 1970s.

Ms Bligh said she gave it up because it made her sick.

"Like many other people in the late 1970s, yes I did encounter marijuana at parties, but I'm pleased to say, for my sake, it made me sick and I didn't go on to become anyone who used it regularly," she said.

Ms Bligh's admission comes days after Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan admitted to smoking the drug in his youth.

However, Ms Bligh said smoking the drug was not the major regret of her teenage years.

"What I have major regrets about is ever trying a cigarette and smoking for 10 years of my life," she said.

"If I could give advice to young people I'd say `don't try any of it, but most importantly don't touch cigarettes.'"

News.com.au

 

[Mr Blonde]

Lol, funny that a few QLD MPs are now coming out about their past drug use...and QLD has just passed increased drug laws 8) (concerning MDMA though and prescription pills, though).

 

[phase_dancer]

Lol, funny that a few QLD MPs are now coming out about their past drug use...and QLD has just passed increased drug laws (concerning MDMA though and prescription pills, though).

Yeah, that got to me as well. While I applaud the honesty, if it indeed isn't just intended to diffuse the federal situation, I do sense a strong degree of hypocrisy.

So, Ms Bligh says..

"If I could give advice to young people I'd say `don't try any of it, but most importantly don't touch cigarettes.'"

..which appears to say that she thinks cigarettes are the worst of the lot. Yet while cigarettes are legally sold - with no penalties in sight if the user is old enough and is not smoking in inappropriate places- her government has just passed a bill which can give first time ecstasy users 25 years in prison.

I'm at a total loss as to why any government anywhere in any civilised country would want to see potential penalties - the equivalent for murder - applied to possession of MDMA. When the Joh era laws regarding mandatory life for anything over 1lb of pot were revoked by the then incoming Labour government, it was done not only to re-establish fair penalties for the crime, but also to protect police. Back then it was said to have been discussed widely among those carrying such amounts, that it would be less risky to shoot the cop/s and attempt to make a run for it. If you were caught, the penalties were much the same. It would indeed be a tragedy if a similar situation occurred with E dealers or even users who regularly carried several pills on their person. If and when a precedent is set, you can betcha boots someone would regard such risks as acceptable.

It becomes very dangerous ground for LE and the public in general when such heavy penalties are allowed for within the law. Desperate people will always do desperate things.

 

[hoptis]

Good point phase_dancer

 

[Mr Blonde]

with no penalties in sight if the user is old enough and is not smoking in inappropriate places-

Hell, sometimes they don't even care if you're underage. I'm 17, but look nowhere near that age...and I have to admit my heart skipped a few beats when I was smoking just outside a bus station this morning and about six cops walked past on their way to their cop shop. I didn't even get any second looks as I politely stepped out of their way