Tough times are still ahead

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.

Mr Gutwein’s first task will be deciding how to reward former independent Madeleine Ogilvie for her electionclinching 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 — what to do about Braddon MP Adam Brooks, who is accused of using fake online identities on dating sites.

The allegations that have surfaced go 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.

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

The Premier and Mr Brooks can expect to face a tsunami of scrutiny when sittings resume. 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 PM Scott Morrison. But this is a government that believed Eric Abetz’s 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.