Brooks divorce done

MP should not run until email audit resolved, says expert

BRADDON Liberal MHA Adam Brooks should not run for re-election while questions remain over his use of a business email account while a minister, a political scientist says.

The State Government continues to insist there are unresolved matters in Mr Brooks’ divorce settlement, preventing an audit of the email account.

But the Mercury can reveal Mr Brooks’ divorce proceed- ings were finalised six months ago and his ex-wife is no longer a director or shareholder of the company, Maintenance Systems Solutions.

Mr Brooks’ brief tenure as mining minister ended last June when he resigned over a “perception of a conflict of interest” between his business interests and his portfolio.

Mr Brooks’ resignation came after he denied three times in an Estimates Committee Hearing he still had an email account with his company, before correcting the record to say he did.

In August the Government said the Crown Solicitor’s planned weeks-long audit had been held up because of the divorce proceedings. Political scientist Kate Crowley said Mr Brooks should not be preselected if the audit was not addressed.

“You can’t have someone who has one foot in the parliament and one foot in a legal situation and a messy divorce, it’s just not appropriate,” Associate Professor Crowley said.

Opposition treasury spokesman Scott Bacon said the Government’s excuses for delaying the audit did not stand up to scrutiny because the divorce was settled.

“No one is interested in Mr Brooks’ personal emails,” Mr Bacon said.

“The audit was promised by the Premier to ascertain if Mr Brooks still had an active role in his mining company while serving as Tasmania’s mining minister.

“Adam Brooks lied to the Parliament about his use of the email account.

“The Premier must now finally make sure this issue is dealt with.”

Mr Brooks reiterated comments he made in September that there were still unresolved matters in the divorce settlement, but a confidentiality clause restricted him from making further comment.

“In relation to the audit, the fact is, I absolutely did nothing wrong and the acting secretary of the department has already audited all decisions I made and given me the clean bill,” he said. Mr Brooks has said the email account was for personal use only.

Tasmanian Liberal Party state director Sam McQuestin could not be contacted.