Swan open about his past

[postman]

TREASURER Wayne Swan yesterday spoke publicly for the first time about his failed first marriage and drug-taking in his younger days.

Mr Swan, 53, said he had nothing to hide by previously being private about "challenging" chapters of his personal life.

 

"There has been nothing secret about any of these events. They were very public at the time. Obviously people now find it interesting given my new job," he said in Brisbane yesterday.

 

Mr Swan has been married for nearly 24 years to former political adviser Kim Williamson. They have three children.

 

Yesterday he confirmed he had a brief marriage in the late 1970s that ended in divorce. He said the marriage to Toni Jensen – a childhood sweetheart from Nambour State High School – lasted about a year.

 

It was "just one of those things . . . it was all too young", he said.

 

"There's no great secret about it. It's not something I ever hid . . . for whatever it's worth, I concede that it's odd that it's never been written (about)."

 

Mr Swan said yesterday that despite no official record of his first marriage, family and close friends had been aware of it for 20 to 30 years.

 

"It certainly has been recorded, it just hasn't been reported in magazines or in journalism in recent times," he said after a report published yesterday in The Courier-Mail's QWeekend magazine.

 

Asked if he had wanted the revelations covered up, Mr Swan replied: "Hardly." He confirmed that he had only recently told his youngest child, Matthew, 13.

 

"Some of my children (his two older daughters) were aware of it. But we are talking 30 years ago. We are not talking last week, last month, last decade.

 

"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. (He successfully battled prostate cancer five years ago.)

 

"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."

 

Mr Swan said he had not recently spoken to Ms Jensen, who he said was battling serious illness.

 

"I would respect her privacy," he said.

 

He also revealed he had experimented with drugs in his University of Queensland student days.

 

"There was some dope around from time to time. But I quickly decided that marijuana and drugs of that ilk really weren't for me," he told Qweekend.

 

Mr Swan yesterday said he had no trouble discussing drugs with his children now.

 

"I have always been very forthright with my children about the dangers of drugs, including alcohol," he said.

 

"I made it very clear in the article that 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."

 

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...14-3102,00.html

[pipeman]

marijuana and drugs of that ilk really weren't for me

 

this statement pretty clearly shows his ignorance of cannabis, trying to group it in with other drugs...

[Rocker]

The law of averages says there must be a few stoners in the federal parliament.

Just as there is in the policeforce, the medical profession, the legal mob etc etc.

 

And I agree pipeman; I get tired of cannabis being grouped in with a lot of other drugs.

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

What really shits me, isn't they condemn drugs, group them with other subsances or express regret for having "tried" pot.

 

But it's the fact they got away withit while they made their minds up, they claim they decided it wasn't for them, and so let it go. They weren't caught, and so go on to become famous well paid parlimentarians.

 

However..they won't afford anyone else this right to try it for themselves, and see it fit's for them or not. They come along, admit using, proclaim it wasn;t for them, and want to hang anyone who wants to trry it themselves.

Now thant's what really shits me.

 

If they had been caught, even if it was the one and only time they had used it, they would not have the fuckin cushy job, bug pay and the right to condemn the rest of us to ciminality.

 

bastards

 

rob

[grok]

cannabis seems to be the one 'drug' that any politican can admit to having tried without it negatively affecting their career...hmm..interesting..

[Tyrantz]

keep your eyes open then, one of your stoner mates might one day be treasurer or even pm now wouldnt that be funny to shou a polli a cone!

[stonedstump]

What really shits me, isn't they condemn drugs, group them with other subsances or express regret for having "tried" pot.

 

But it's the fact they got away withit while they made their minds up, they claim they decided it wasn't for them, and so let it go. They weren't caught, and so go on to become famous well paid parlimentarians.

 

However..they won't afford anyone else this right to try it for themselves, and see it fit's for them or not. They come along, admit using, proclaim it wasn;t for them, and want to hang anyone who wants to trry it themselves.

Now thant's what really shits me.

 

If they had been caught, even if it was the one and only time they had used it, they would not have the fuckin cushy job, bug pay and the right to condemn the rest of us to ciminality.

 

bastards

 

rob

 

 

QFT. Best fucking post I've seen on here, well said