Fraser John Ellis is an Australian politician. He was elected as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

at the 2018 state election, representing

Narungga The Narungga people, also spelt Narangga, are a group of Aboriginal Australians whose traditional lands are located throughout Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Their traditional language, one of the Yura-Thura grouping, is Narungga. Country ...

. On 18 February 2021, Ellis suspended his membership of the Liberal Party after being charged by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) with offences relating to travel allowances. Ellis, who qualified as a lawyer, worked as a journalist before his election.

Accommodation allowance

In June 2020, Ellis repaid $42,130 in allowances claimed for staying in Adelaide at the residence of a colleague. In February 2021, Ellis informed the House of Assembly that he had been charged with offences arising from an investigation by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) into his use of the Country Members' Accommodation Allowance, which permits regional MPs living more than 75 kilometres from Adelaide to claim up to $234 a night when they are in the city on official business. He was alleged to have made 78 fraudulent claims totalling over $18,000 for nights he did not spend in Adelaide. He was charged with 23 counts of deception, and stated that he denied the allegations and intended to defend the charges. Following his announcement to parliament,

Ann Vanstone Ann Vanstone is an Australian lawyer. She was a crown prosecutor before being appointed as a judge of the District Court of South Australia from 1999 until 2003. She was then appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia. Vanstone stepped ...

, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, released a statement confirming that she had referred a brief to the

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

in December 2020. Ellis was summonsed to appear in the Adelaide

Magistrates Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

on 31 March 2021. Ellis' trial was delayed until June 2022 to allow time for the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

to rule on a similar case relating to another South Australian member of parliament,

Troy Bell Troy Delvon Bell (born November 10, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues mostly in Europe. He is also a R&B producer. He was an All-American college player at ...

. That meant the case would not be resolved before the

2022 South Australian state election The 2022 South Australian state election was held on 19 March 2022 to elect members to the 55th Parliament of South Australia. All 47 seats in the House of Assembly (the lower house, whose members were elected at the 2018 election), and half th ...

. Because Ellis had voluntarily suspended his own membership of the

Liberal Party of South Australia The South Australian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division), is the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. It was formed as the Liberal and Country League (LCL) in 1 ...

, he announced that he would ask to be endorsed as a Liberal candidate in the election. However, the Liberal Party declined to do so and ran an endorsed candidate against him. Ellis won the seat as an independent against the Liberal-endorsed candidate. In June, Ellis's lawyers sought a permanent stay of proceedings on the grounds that the evidence was "subject to the absolute protection of parliamentary privilege". The application was rejected on 10 August 2022, with his trial set to continue later in the month.

References

External links

* Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of South Australia Independent members of the Parliament of South Australia 21st-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub