BROOKS CALLS TIME
POLITICAL CAREER OVER FOR BRADDON MP
TROUBLE-PLAGUED Braddon MP and former mining minister Adam Brooks will quit politics today, saying he needs to “focus on other things”.
Mr Brooks’s shock announcement yesterday follows a damning Integrity Commission report that found he had attempted to cover up the misuse of a private business email account while he was mining minister.
Mr Brooks said it was with “extreme sadness” he would step away from politics after a nine-year career and counted saving cracker night among his top political achievements.
Premier Will Hodgman said Mr Brooks was not entitled to a payout and revealed Mr Brooks had promised to repay $57,888 in legal fees charged to taxpayers during the Integrity Commission investigation.
THE man who saved fireworks night will depart state politics today without a cracker, Premier Will Hodgman said.
Braddon MP Adam Brooks dropped his bombshell announcement on radio yesterday.
“Obviously everyone’s sad to see Brooksy go, but I will still be active in the community,” he said.
Damned by an Integrity Commission report and dogged by ill health, Mr Brooks’s resignation comes after Mr Hodgman acknowledged he would not again serve as a minister.
His resignation takes effect from this afternoon and he is likely to be replaced in a countback by former Liberal MHA Joan Rylah, who was voted out at last year’s election.
Mr Hodgman said Mr Brooks wasn’t entitled to a payout.
Elected to Tasmanian Parliament for the seat of Braddon in 2010, the wealthy businessman was given the mining portfolio after the resignation of resources minister Paul Harriss in February 2016.
He resigned the ministry in June that year after concerns were raised about potential conflicts of interest and the use of private email accounts.
Mr Brooks dropped his resignation bombshell on radio announcer Brian Carlton yesterday morning — counting among his top achievements in his nine-year political career the saving of cracker night.
“Today, unfortunately, I’ve made the difficult decision to advise the Governor and the Premier that I will be resigning from Parliament,” he said. “I do this with extreme sadness. It has been a privilege and an honour to serve the people of Braddon for the last nine years.”
Mr Brooks said his decision was based on medical advice and on “the need for me to focus on other things”.
“As we know I’ve had a leave of absence for a little bit of time now and as most of your listeners would know that was due to medical advice … to focus on my health as well as some other personal matters.”
The Integrity Commission last year found Mr Brooks failed to tell the truth to Premier Will Hodgman and deleted “a significant number of emails” that proved he was involved in a company with mining interests while he was mining minister.
His claims that he had “relocated” and “quarantined” the emails were rejected in the Commission’s report.
The Integrity Commission found he had tried to limit political damage to himself.
Mr Hodgman revealed taxpayers forked out $57,888 in legal fees charged during the investigation, a sum Mr Brooks promised to repay.
Mr Hodgman paid tribute to Mr Brooks as an exceptional local member, but acknowledged his political career had been tainted by errors of judgment.
“Having seen him in action over many years, he’s the sort of person who needs to be able to be able to commit 100 per cent to the job. He’s made a decision that he’s currently not able to do that and as a result he’s resigning from our Parliament,” he said.
“He’s made some decisions and has done things that you know haven’t always sat well with me and his government colleagues, most notably I refer of course to the matters investigated by the Integrity Commission.
“But Adam has also paid a significant price for those political errors, those errors of judgment that he’s acknowledged, apologised for.
“It cost him a ministry and he was, of course, subject to a lengthy inquiry process all of which has its personal toll.”
Labor leader Rebecca White wished Mr Brooks well.
“The Integrity Commission report ... was very damning of him and his behaviour in the parliament. He did mislead the parliament and that was two years ago. It’s taken a long time for him to do the honourable thing really and resign.”
Mr Brooks did not rule out a comeback and said he was proud of “saving firecracker night” and introducing a local benefits test for government tenders.