Motorola affair


The Motorola affair was an incident that resulted in the resignation of South Australian Premier John Olsen on 21 October 2001. His resignation came after the release of the Clayton Report, which stated that he had given "misleading, inaccurate and dishonest evidence to a judicial inquiry". The report also found that former Government adviser Alex Kennedy and the former head of his Department of Industry and Trade also "gave false evidence to the same inquiry".
In the days following the findings, there was growing speculation that Olsen would either resign or face a leadership spill within his own party. He ended up fronting the media and was steadfast in his own defence saying the report that he set up was wrong and handed out copies of his own 48 page response. Olsen stated "It says amongst other things that I, in answers to Mr Cramond, was misleading, inaccurate and dishonest. I was not and I absolutely refute Mr Clayton's assertion. The report clearly indicates there are no criminal activities, no illegal activities", and again backed the Motorola deal that was done. However, he went on to say he was "a political realist and for that reason I intend to offer my resignation to my Party as Premier of this State". He said he intended to seek further legal advice and continue to defend his integrity.
Olsen was replaced as leader and premier by Rob Kerin on 22 October 2001.