So what exactly does the Tasmanian Government have to hide? That’s the question confronting the community right now because of the Government’s shocking lack of transparency. Let me give you some examples. Well first there’s the fact that Tasmania has the nation’s worst political donation laws and the Government is doggedly determined not to do anything about it.
As a result the Liberal Party spent a record $4m to ensure its re-election in 2018, and we simply don’t know where much of that money came from. Then there’s the arrogant refusal of the Government to tell us which businesses shared in the $26m COVID hardship grant program, even though this is taxpayer money, our money, and the community has every right to know exactly how it was spent.
And then this month the Ombudsman confirmed our worst fears, that Tasmania is officially Australia’s most secretive state and the worst at releasing information. And the evidence? That almost a third of the time Tasmanian authorities have refused to release any information under Right to Information laws and routinely misapplied the public interest test.
So I ask the Government, what’s with all the secrets? Why is that secrecy seems to be in your DNA? And what have you got to hide, because if you are squeaky clean like you claim, you sure wouldn’t be behaving the way you are.