Mr Bryans, who was first elected into the States in 2011, was last year accused of being ‘overly tactile’ with Education staff and of unzipping the dress of the then Social Security Minister Susie Pinel and commenting on the colour of her bra.
He was eventually cleared of breaking the ministerial code of conduct following an investigation by the States Commissioner for Standards, Paul Kernaghan.
In the first of a six-part series of interviews with recently retired States Members (see pages 8 and 9), Mr Bryans said that he was initially considering standing again, but the allegations persuaded him it was time to stand down.
‘I had already intimated to Senator Gorst that, if he was going for Chief Minister again, I would look at carrying on my role as Education Minister.
‘[But] it was a bit difficult for me with the investigation at the end. I guess it was the tipping point for me,’ he said.
The former Deputy said that finding out he was being investigated left him confused and shocked.
‘I did not know what I was being accused of initially,’ he said. ‘I never saw various reports. I did not know who was being spoken to, there were no timelines… that in itself creates a pressure on you as you never know when it’s going to come to fruition.’
When he learned the details, he says he was taken aback.
He never met the Commissioner but was asked to comment on the allegations.
‘I told him, I don’t think I am any more tactile than anyone else,’ he said. ‘But suddenly in this new world of “Me, Too” and things, the perspective on that has changed.’
And he says the allegations caused him to second guess himself. ‘If I said to you today, something that happened a year or two years ago is now being brought as some kind of allegation, your mind is all over the place, going, “Oh my God”,’ he said.
Once the initial shock had passed, he calmed down. ‘In my own mind, I knew there was no substance to it.
‘So, I was not too concerned. It does affect you though, there is no doubt. It’s a hard toll on your family.’
He added: ‘People are always going to make their own minds up about it without knowing any facts. It’s the world we live in now.’
While the issue was formally raised by former Senator Andrew Green, it had arisen from a conversation between Senator Kristina Moore and former Housing Minister Anne Pryke about a matter they had not witnessed.
While Mr Bryans was cleared, none of those involved in the complaint spoke to him directly about the matter before nor have they apologised since.
Asked if he carried any animosity toward them, he said: ‘I don’t think about them.
‘It was difficult because these are people who you work with, colleagues,’ he added.
But support from Education staff and members of the public buoyed him. ‘I received about 30 to 40 emails, all from people I had not seen for years and they all supported me,’ he said.
‘People have asked ,“Was it politically motivated?” Mr Bryans said. ‘I think they have to make their own minds up about that.’
