Sam Duluk

Samuel John Duluk is an Australian politician. He is currently a Independent, formerly Liberal member of the South Australian House of Assembly since 2015, representing Davenport until 2018 and Waite thereafter.[1]

Duluk was born in the Victorian town of Mildura, and is descended from post-war migrants from Poland.[2] He was raised in Adelaide and educated at Marryatville High School, then graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Adelaide, working as an accountant in the banking industry. He was state president of the South Australian Young Liberal Movement.[3]

Duluk won the seat at a 2015 by-election, despite a five percent two-party swing against him, which turned the historically safe seat of Davenport in to a marginal one for the first time.[4] After a redistribution transferred most of his constituents to the neighbouring seat of Waite, Duluk opted to contest Waite and won.

On the first sitting day of 2020, Duluk expressed regret for several alleged instances of inappropriate behaviour at a parliamentary Christmas party in December 2019. The Speaker, Vincent Tarzia, commissioned a private investigator to produce a report into Duluk's behaviour, which allegedly included slapping SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros on the backside and making racist and homophobic comments to other MPs.[5] A week later, after police confirmed Duluk had been reported for "basic assault" over the incident concerning Bonaros, the South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, said that Duluk could no longer attend meetings of the Parliamentary Liberal Party. Duluk subsequently announced that he would take leave from parliament and suspend his membership of the party while the matter was under investigation. Two days later the SA Liberal Party executive expelled Sam Duluk from their Party.[6] In April he was summonsed and is expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 6 October 2020.[7]