The latest court appearance by former Liberal MP Adam ‘Terry’ Brooks underlines the importance of candidates’ integrity during an election campaign.
In 2021, the Liberals ridiculed journalists who asked questions about whether Mr Brooks had been using a fake name and identification to deceive women.
The then-Premier Peter Gutwein even claimed during the 2021 election campaign that he was confident Mr Brooks was a “reputable candidate”.
Mr Brooks was later charged with firearms offences and had to resign from Parliament before even being sworn in, and has faced the Devonport Magistrates Court yesterday charged with four counts of failing to comply with requirements under taxation law.
Now we have the current Premier Jeremy Rockliff using the same tactics, refusing to answer questions about whether any current Liberal Party candidates are under investigation by the Integrity Commission.
He has endorsed Julie Sladden to run for Parliament, even though he banned her from working in our health system. Dr Sladden is an anti-vaxxer, attacked Mr Rockliff’s decisions as health minister, shared speeches to the AfD and promoted the use of horse de-wormer to cure COVID-19.
So, same attempt to avoid Liberal accountability, different candidates – and even worse, possibly more than one this time.
Tasmanians should be able to vote for any candidate safe in the knowledge that their integrity is not under a cloud.
If the Premier can’t even tell Tasmanians that’s the case after 10 years in government, and is actively attempting to dodge questions about it, why should Tasmanians have any trust in any Liberal candidates?
Dean Winter MP