Labor turns up heat over Brooks audit

LABOR says the State Government has “run out of excuses” for delaying an audit into an email account held by former mining minister Adam Brooks.

Mr Brooks resigned as mining minister in June last year after he repeatedly denied he had an email account with his business Maintenance Systems Solutions in a budget estimates hearing, before correcting the record to say he did.

At the time, Mr Hodgman said the Crown Solicitor would conduct a weeks-long audit of Mr Brooks’ use of the account.

But the audit has been in abeyance since August last year because of outstanding matters in Mr Brooks’ divorce proceedings, the Government says. The divorce was finalised in March.

Labor leader Rebecca White pressured Premier Will Hodgman about the audit in State Parliament yesterday, asking why it has been delayed for 16 months, despite the divorce being finalised.

“Your Government claimed that an audit of that [email] account was being held up by Mr Brooks’ wife’s involvement as a director of that company (MSS), but ASIC documents show that Mrs Brooks ceased to be a director of that company in 2015,” Ms White said.

“What’s more, they show that Mrs Brooks isn’t even a shareholder any more. What is the real reason that the audit is being delayed?

“Do these emails contain evidence of serious conflicts of interest by Mr Brooks while he was mining minister and also in charge of a major mining company?”

Mr Hodgman said there was “no advice I have or suggestion of any breach to which the member refers”.

He said a review of all decisions Mr Brooks made during his time as mining minister had cleared Mr Brooks.

Shadow treasurer Scott Bacon later said the explanations provided by the Premier did not preclude the Crown Solicitor examining the account and providing a report to government.