Who is Bryan Green?

Lindsay Tuffin

FORMER Deputy Premier Bryan Green is seeking to be rehabilitated: (He) has launched a full-scale campaign to restore his battered reputation and seize a ministry in the Bartlett Cabinet. In an unexpected “myth-busting” address to parliament last night, Mr Green declared his innocence, said he was not a corrupt person and indicated he was sick of character assassination in a political and media witch-hunt. Mercury: Green lays foundation for revival.

Two juries in separate trials before the Supreme Court in November last year and February this year failed to reach a verdict on Mr Green’s guilt or innocence on charges relating to the TCC affair. Mr Green last night told parliament that, because he had not been found guilty and all charges had been dropped, he was innocent.

But in his bid to return to a powerful frontbench position Mr Green does not acknowledge that there are still questions unanswered in relation to his conduct. For example …
What about the house deal with former State Labor Secretary David Price? Remember the allegations made at Mr Green’s first trial that he had sold his Glenorchy home to Mr Price at a below-cost price so that less stamp duty and tax would have to be paid?

Yet another example of the “special deals for special mates”?; the damning perception which plagued the Lennon administration of which Mr Green was dutiful and adoring right-hand man.

And what about the character-assassination techniques so beloved of that regime. Mr Green’s Coward’s Castle vilification of opponents of government policy; including that extraordinary attack on writer Richard Flanagan as a traitor to Tasmania.

Mr Green did not allude to any of that in his extraordinary self-justifying speech to Parliament yesterday. He would have us gloss over or forget that part of his record in the public sphere. He would have us believe he is entirely a different character, unblemished by his record as Paul Lennon’s Right-Hand-Man and Adoring Acolyte.

Well, we haven’t forgotten! And we won’t! There still are too many questions relating to Mr Green’s fitness for high public office.