Adam Brooks scandal: Braddon voters feel election was ‘a sham’, says MLC

Voters in Braddon have suggested there should be a fresh election in the electorate in the wake of the Adam Brooks saga as an MLC joins calls for an independent investigation.

• Push for inquiry into Brooks allegations
• Police won't investigate Brooks’s alleged fake licence

THE Adam Brooks saga is delaying parliamentary scrutiny and needs to be independently investigated, Legislative Council member Ruth Forrest says.

Ms Forrest said Tasmanian voters deserved to know what “influence” may have been exerted to see Mr Brooks preselected.

“The people of Braddon and Tasmania deserve nothing less,” she said.

“An internal review undertaken by the Department of Premier and Cabinet or the Liberal Party is no longer an option – we all know how those reviews go, ‘nothing to see here’ – I know this from personal experience.

“There also needs to be further review of the Electoral Act and other relevant legislation to deal with situations such as this to ensure there are not excessive delays to the return of parliament and thus long periods of no parliamentary scrutiny as we are seeing now.”

It is unclear when state parliament will resume with a recount to be held to determine a replacement for Mr Brooks who has decided not to take his seat in the House of Assembly.

Madeleine Ogilvie and Adam Brooks at the Liberals’ campaign launch. Picture: Chris Kidd

Ms Forrest, whose Murchison electorate is in Braddon, said many voters had told her they felt the election in Braddon was “a sham” and the high pre-polling may have been different if more had been known about Mr Brooks earlier in the election campaign.

“There have been quite a number of people suggesting a fresh election in Braddon should be held – although I don’t believe the legislative framework under which our elections are held provides for this option,” she said.

“There should have been a more thorough investigation by the Premier when the allegations began to emerge, first alleged firearms offences and subsequently the allegations of deception of women he met through dating apps and the alleged use of a fake ID to deceive them.

“Mr Gutwein, and the Liberal Party preselectors particularly, should have undertaken a much more thorough investigation as it is a matter of public record that Mr Brooks lied to the previous Premier, misled parliament and had to ‘correct the record’.

“Both parties and their preselectors owe it to the voters to ensure anyone they preselect is a fit and proper person to be an MP.

“It seems extraordinary that Mr Brooks was a suitable candidate when the party had five other suitable candidates.”

Independent MLC Ruth Forrest. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Ms Forrest wished Mr Brooks well and said she hoped he received the support he needed.

“I am concerned for his mental health and welfare as he previously stated he was dealing with mental health challenges when he resigned from parliament last time,” she said.

“Why would he travel to Queensland for treatment rather than Victoria for example if he needed privacy?

“Perhaps he had been receiving treatment there previously but it is a long way from home for someone seeking to be elected in Tasmania if you need ongoing care and treatment.”

Gutwein must answer questions on Brooks

THE reasons why Premier Peter Gutwein allowed Adam Brooks to contest the election, only for him to resign, will eventually be revealed, Labor leader Rebecca White says.

Ms White said there were more questions than answers over Mr Brooks’ decision before the polls were declared not to take his seat in parliament, particularly in relation to what Mr Gutwein knew.

“The timing of that is incredibly convenient for the Premier and it means that there will be a recount now and somebody will come in on the back to shore up the majority Peter Gutwein has been so desperate to see,” she said.

“The concerns around Mr Brooks were wide-reaching, not just in relation to whether he’d used a fake identity to deceive multiple women, but also in relation to firearms charges. His summons to court on those charges were known to the Premier well in advance of the nominations closing.

“These are all things that really reflect poorly I think on Peter Gutwein, his integrity and his acceptance of a candidate who was very questionable and has now been proven to be that.”

Adam Brooks at the Liberal Party candidates announcement in Campbell Town. Picture: Rob Burnett

Ms White said it seemed that Mr Brooks’ candidacy was a critical part of Mr Gutwein’s strategy to win three seats in Braddon.

“Mr Brooks has obviously resigned from the parliament in what is probably the shortest parliamentary career on record and unfortunately Peter Gutwein has been a key player in all of this — he’s enabled that to occur.

“Whether or not he took advantage of Mr Brooks’ mental ill health, or the fact that Mr Brooks is a donor to the Liberal Party, or that Mr Brooks was a big vote getter for the party in order to secure that third seat in Braddon, will come out.”

Ms White said she understood why the Greens were considering taking the matter to the Integrity Commission and said the process may be considered by parliament.

Premier can expect a tsunami of scrutiny

WINNING the election might turn out to be the easy part for Premier Peter Gutwein.

Hopefully, he’s had some rest while the count proceeded because he has some hard tasks ahead.

Chief among these will be deciding who gets what in his ministry.

The last parliament showed the shortcomings in the Liberal line-up and most of the same people are back.

While some ministers performed their roles with something resembling competence, others fell short. Even with 13 MPs in the House of Assembly, there are going to be some difficult choices.

Mr Gutwein’s first task will be deciding how to reward former independent Madeleine Ogilvie for her election-clinching win in Clark.

Ms Ogilvie wasn’t talking on Thursday, but will no doubt be expecting a senior role in the government. Some have suggested she would be a good pick for Speaker.

The premier’s other problem is far tougher — it is what to do about Braddon MP Adam Brooks.

Mr Brooks is accused of using fake online identities on dating sites.

The allegations that have surfaced to date beyond simply using fake identification online, but whether Mr Brooks has conducted relationships under false pretences.

Police in Tasmania and Victoria have been informed of the claims and say there is no evidence of an offence having been committed in either state.

He flatly denies the claims against him and says he will take legal action.

Regardless of the niceties which apply elsewhere, the Premier and Mr Brooks can expect to face a tsunami of scrutiny when sittings resume and parliamentary privilege applies.

Mr Gutwein’s defence of Mr Brooks has been that the candidate has denied the claims and he takes the MP at his word.

It is a position that requires him to discount the claims of two women and photographs and video footage which appears to back their accounts.

Mr Gutwein insists that this is not a gendered issue, that it is a matter for the electors of Braddon, but he may have misread the wider mood.

Mr Gutwein has said he would have handled the Brittany Higgins matter differently to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

But this is a government that believed Eric Abetz’ denials rather than Sue Hickey when she told parliament he had “slut-shamed” Ms Higgins.

This is a government that did not believe Cassy O’Connor when she told parliament she was called a “meth-head c…” by an adviser.

This is a Premier who suggested a female reporter might have faked evidence against Mr Brooks.

For now, Mr Gutwein prefers to take the word of a male politician — who has demonstrated he sometimes has difficulty telling the truth — over the claims of his accusers.

Being re-elected on the basis of strong leadership is just the start. Demonstrating leadership when it comes at your political cost is another.

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