[3][4][5][6][7] Peter Malinauskas filled the upper house casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia on 1 December.
[8][9][10] One of twelve children, Finnigan was born in 1972 in Mount Gambier, South Australia and grew up in nearby Eight Mile Creek on the family's dairy farm.
[12][13] On 2 May 2006, Finnigan was appointed to the South Australian Legislative Council (upper house) as Labor's candidate to fill the remainder of the term left vacant by the death of former minister Terry Roberts.
[24] As the alleged offences were considered a sex crime, South Australian law prohibited publication of his name in connection with the charges until he had entered a plea.
[26] On 29 June 2012, Finnigan was charged with 14 additional counts of obtaining access to child pornography, seven of them aggravated to be heard in the District Court of South Australia before a jury.
Finnigan announced his immediate parliamentary resignation on 12 November,[4][5][6] avoiding a potential future disqualification from sitting in parliament due to a conviction.
[7] On 9 December, Finnigan had a conviction recorded, was added to the sex offender register, and was given a 15-month suspended sentence with a three-year $1,000 good behaviour bond.
[3] Peter Malinauskas filled the upper house casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia on 1 December.
Premier Jay Weatherill spoke during the joint sitting, stating in particular: "We in the Labor Party must accept responsibility for the fact that it was one of our own who diminished the standing of the South Australian Parliament through his behaviour".