Premier Peter Gutwein has denied that former Braddon Liberal MHA Adam Brooks was given more "leeway" than other candidates who were embroiled in controversy during the state election campaign.
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Mr Brooks, the treasurer of the Tasmanian Liberals and a former mining minister in the Hodgman government, spoke to Mr Gutwein last Thursday, the day before the declaration of the polls, to inform him that he would not be taking his seat in the parliament and that he was currently in Queensland seeking treatment for mental ill-health.
He also told Mr Gutwein that he had been charged with firearms offences in Queensland, as well as possession of explosives and dealing with identity documents. Mr Brooks will defend the charges.
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It comes after he was accused during the campaign of using a fraudulent driver's licence to trick women he met on dating apps.
Mr Brooks has strongly denied any wrongdoing and has signalled his intention to take legal action against "organisations and certain individuals".
Asked on Monday whether he still stood by Mr Brooks, the Premier said, "I believe in the rule of law, and there is a process under way".
"That process needs to take its course," he said.
Ex-Franklin Liberal candidate Dean Ewington resigned his candidacy after it was revealed he had appeared at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne - however, he claimed he decided to resign himself, rather than being asked to do so.
"Adam Brooks is a private citizen now," Mr Gutwein said. "And the courts and the processes that need to roll out will roll out."
"Adam Brooks hasn't been given more leeway [than other candidates]," Mr Gutwein said. "Adam Brooks, for the last couple of years, has been engaged with the party. He's taken part in Liberal Party events on the North-West Coast, he's held a senior position within the party as well."
Adam Brooks is a private citizen now. And the courts and the processes that need to roll out will roll out.
- Peter Gutwein, Premier
Mr Gutwein said he spoke to Mr Brooks again on Friday morning and that the Liberal Party had "reached out to him" over the weekend.
"I'm pleased to say that yesterday he indicated that he was going OK, but obviously not well," he said.
Mr Brooks resigned from parliament for the first time in 2019, following a report by the Integrity Commission which found he hadn't told then-premier Will Hodgman that he had deleted emails with the potential to cause him political damage.
During the 2021 election campaign, Mr Brooks also courted controversy after it was revealed that Tasmania Police intended to summons him to appear in the Magistrates Court for the alleged incorrect storage of ammunition.
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