Terence John Stephens (born 11 June 1959) is an Australian politician, and a member of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...

since being elected in 2002, representing the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. He is the President of the South Australian Legislative Council since May 2022. He previously served in this role from February to September 2020, but resigned after becoming embroiled in an allowances scandal.

Background

Prior to his entry in to politics, Stephens was a company director for 20 years, and was involved in community activities, being a life member of South Whyalla Football Club, life member of the

Whyalla Football League The Whyalla Football League Inc. is an Australian rules football competition based in the town of Whyalla on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football Leag ...

, patron of Norwood District Basketball Club, a

City of Whyalla The City of Whyalla (formally The Corporation of the City of Whyalla) is a local government area in South Australia, located at the north-east corner of the Eyre Peninsula. It was established in 1970, replacing the town commission, which had been ...

Councillor, a member of the Whyalla Chamber of Commerce, and chair of the Westlands Traders Association.

Parliamentary service

Because the Liberals lost the 2002 state election to the Labor Party, and Labor retained government at subsequent elections, Stephens was a member of the opposition until the

2018 South Australian state election The 2018 South Australian state election to elect members to the 54th Parliament of South Australia was held on 17 March 2018. All 47 seats in the House of Assembly or lower house, whose members were elected at the 2014 election, and 11 of 22 se ...

was won by the Liberals. He held the role of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary assisting with Industry and Trade, Economic Development and Police from April 2006 to April 2007, was the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Liberal Leader for Business Regulation and Red Tape, and Sport, Recreation & Racing to September 2008, then Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader for Sport, Recreation and Racing, Small Business, and Red Tape Reduction until July 2009. In July 2009, he was promoted to Shadow Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing, and Shadow Minister for Tourism, and added Shadow Minister for Corrections, Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Shadow Minister for Gambling in April 2010. However, he moved to the backbench in a reshuffle in December 2011. Stephens became Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Recreation & Sport, Racing, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in April 2014. When the Liberal Party won the 2018 election, Stephens was appointed as Government Whip in the Legislative Council. In February 2020, he replaced

Andrew McLachlan Andrew Lockhart McLachlan, (born 14 January 1966) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for South Australia since 6 February 2020, representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was previously a member of the South Australian Le ...

President of the South Australian Legislative Council The president of the South Australian Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the South Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of South Australia. The other presiding officer is the speaker of the South Australia ...

. In June 2020, it was alleged that although Stephens had claimed to live in Victor Harbor since 2014, he spent a significant amount of time at his property at Norwood, in Adelaide's inner east, and so had been wrongly claiming an allowance paid to him as a regional MP. Stephens denied any wrongdoing, but announced his resignation as Legislative Council President on 26 July 2020, to take effect when the council resumed after the winter break.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Terry 1959 births Living people Members of the South Australian Legislative Council Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of South Australia Presidents of the South Australian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians