Adam Brooks summonsed to appear in court for allegedly incorrectly storing ammunition

The Tasmania’s Premier is standing by controversial Liberal candidate Adam Brooks who will vigorously defend firearms storage offence allegations.

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PREMIER Peter Gutwein is standing firm on the Liberal candidacy of Adam Brooks, saying he will not disendorse him despite the Braddon hopeful facing firearms storage offences.

Mr Brooks, 45, has said would vigorously defend the allegations.

On Friday morning, the Premier was asked about Mr Brooks’ candidacy amid the allegations.

“About a week ago I was made aware that Mr Brooks had a conversation with police, but at that stage, the matter of whether or not he would be summonsed wasn’t clear,’’ he said.

“I believe in the rule of law and I believe that justice should take its course.

“No one’s above thew law. This matter will take its course but Mr Brooks will be vigorously defending this matter.

“He deserves the presumption of innocence. I’m not downplaying this, any matter to do with firearms or ammunition is a serious matter, but he will be vigorously defending this.”

Labor MLC Sarah Lovell called on the Premier to disendorse Mr Brooks.

“We had serious concerns around the fact they had welcomed Adam Brooks back into the fold to run as a Liberal candidate in Braddon after he resigned from parliament under a cloud … and yet Peter Gutwein has seen fit to welcome him back as a Liberal candidate for Braddon,’’ she said.

“Now, it’s been revealed that he’s facing criminal charges on firearm offences. It’s absolutely unbelievable that the Premier is not taking action to disendorse Mr Brooks.”

Ms Lovell was asked if a Labor candidate would be asked to resign their candidacy in similar circumstances.

“That would be a matter for the party but I can’t see why any candidate should be allowed to continue to stand as a candidate for a party if they are facing such serious criminal charges,’’ she said.

Mr Brooks on Thursday said there were no firearms involved in the alleged offence.

“I am a clay target shooter and I have had a discussion with the police in relation to the storage of ammunition,’’ he said.

Labor calls for Brooks to resign candidacy

LABOR is calling for the scalp of Liberal candidate for Braddon Adam Brooks on the back of revelations he has been charged with alleged firearm storage offences.

Labor campaign spokeswoman Sarah Lovell says Premier Peter Gutwein should disendorse the North-West coast businessman as a candidate.

Tasmania Police on Thursday confirmed a 45-year-old North-West man would be proceeded against in relation to alleged firearms storage offences.

Mr Brooks later put out a statement saying he would defend himself in court.

“I am a clay target shooter and I have had a discussion with the police in relation to the storage of ammunition. There are no firearms involved,” Mr Brooks said.

Ms Lovell said Mr Gutwein needed to tell Tasmanian if he was aware of his alleged firearms offences before he welcomed him as a candidate for the state election.

“Mr Brooks’ reputation for not telling the truth is very well established and dates back to when he acted with incredible deceit by lying to the then-Premier, lying to the parliament and lying to those Tasmanians who elected him about his ongoing role in his mining business while he was the Mining Minister,” Ms Lovell said.

Mr Brooks was the subject of an Integrity Commission report which said he had not been “entirely truthful” to then Premier Will Hodgman on the true nature of his dealings with his private business Maintenance System Solution.

“It was that web of deceit which eventually led to him being forced to quit the parliament in disgrace,” Ms Lovell said.

“What did Mr Brooks disclose to the Premier about these alleged offences before he was endorsed as a candidate?

“If Mr Gutwein was indeed aware of these matters, why did he endorse him?

“Did the Premier, the Minister for Police or any member of the government have any contact with police in relation to Adam Brooks over the past six months before they welcomed him as a candidate?

“Is Mr Gutwein willing today to provide Tasmanians with the truth or will he shroud this serious issue in his trademark secrecy?

“And is Mr Brooks willing to stand before Tasmanians and provide the truth about what lead to him being charged and the full extent of the charges – or will the government’s entrenched culture of secrecy and cover-up take precedence in this extremely concerning matter?

“Labor has already called for Mr Brooks to be sacked last week and now there is ample further evidence to support that call.”

Candidate under fire over ammunition storage

LIBERAL candidate for Braddon Adam Brooks has been summonsed to appear in court over alleged firearms storage offences.

The 45-year-old said he would be vigorously defending the allegations.

According to police, Mr Brooks allegedly incorrectly stored ammunition as required by the Firearms Act.

In a statement to the Mercury, Mr Brooks said there were no firearms involved in the alleged offence.

“I am a clay target shooter and I have had a discussion with the police in relation to the storage of ammunition,” Mr Brooks said.

Liberal candidate for Braddon Adam Brooks. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

The news comes one week after Liberal candidate Dean Ewington was asked to stand down due to his anti-lockdown stance and abusive social media post about climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Mr Brooks was elected to state parliament in 2010 but he resigned in 2018 after he was investigated by the Integrity Commission.

He was cleared of breaching the ministerial code of conduct but he was found to have breached a protocol by not declaring his involvement in a business and found to have deleted relevant emails.

Mr Brooks maintains he did nothing wrong at the time.

Keay turns back for new tilt at politics

LABOR’S high-profile candidate for Braddon has finally been unveiled.

Former federal MP Justine Keay is attempting a political comeback as the party’s latest candidate for the North-West seat.

The former Devonport City councillor won her federal seat in 2016 but resigned in 2018 in the Federal Parliament’s dual citizenship fiasco. She won the seat back in the subsequent by-election but then lost it to the Liberals’ Gavin Pearce in 2019.

Former federal member for Braddon Justine Keay has been announced as Labor’s latest candidate for Braddon in the state election. Picture: Grant Wells

Ms Keay said she was torn when deciding whether or not to run at state level.

“With what’s been happening at a Federal level under Scott Morrison I was torn about whether I’d walk away from politics and not have that as my future,” she said.

“To put my hand up and be involved again at a state level is to be part of making things a lot better in our political space.”

Ms Keay said some of her key priorities include housing, skills and education, and health.

As a psychology student, she said mental health is a particular passion of hers.

“In the North-West it’s so hard for people to get adequate services when they need it,” she said.

“The public and private systems aren’t meeting the needs of Tasmanians. We need to do a lot more.

“This is such a chronic issue that needs the state and federal governments to come together.”

Justine Keay during her time as federal member for Braddon, with former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Federal Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell. Picture: AAP

She said despite some criticism around the timing, her late announcement as a candidate was simply due to her needing to fulfil obligations to her employer.

The announcement comes after a challenging few days for the party, with Kingborough mayor Dean Winter coming into the fold and ALP state president and Clark candidate Ben McGregor announcing he would be quitting his campaign.

Ms Keay said the party’s focus now was on getting out and letting Tasmanians know what they stand for.

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