Media Release – Liberals put self interest first

Media Release | 27 October 2021  

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb said today the Gutwein Liberal Government has again put self-interest before Tasmania’s best interests.

“The Gutwein Liberal Government’s vote to reject an Upper House proposal for a joint committee inquiry into the conduct of the 2021 state and Legislative Council elections is further evidence of a concerted effort to marginalise parliament’s scrutiny role,” Ms Webb said.

“It is becoming crystal clear that the Premier and his Government would prefer the parliament just went home.

“We are seeing a disturbing pattern emerge where the Government repeatedly breaches established parliamentary practice in order to avoid routine public scrutiny.

“There is an established convention when either the House of Assembly or Legislative Council requests the other joins them to conduct a joint house committee inquiry, it is agreed to.

“Instead, for the second time in less than 18 months, the Gutwein Liberal Government has refused to work cooperatively with the Upper House when faced with such a request.”

Ms Webb said there is nothing controversial about the proposed parliamentary review of the recent elections.

“This is standard practice Federally, and in other State jurisdictions, including NSW and Victoria.

“The only controversy here is the anti-democratic and ultra-defensive approach of the Government which is becoming more controlling over time.”

Ms Webb said the fact is holding of concurrent Lower and Upper House elections was unprecedented in Tasmania’s history.

“If such a massive deviation from the norm was undertaken in either the corporate or public sectors, it would be considered standard and responsible practice to hold a rigorous evaluation after the fact.”

Ms Webb slammed as “disingenuous and insulting” the Government’s claim a parliamentary review of the 2021 elections would either duplicate or undermine the Tasmanian Electoral Commission.

“The Government’s attempt to hide behind the TEC is so spurious, those spouting it should be cringing with embarrassment. Worse, it exposes the government as treating Tasmanians as fools.

“The Federal Parliament and other interstate parliaments which hold routine post-election parliamentary oversight inquiries also have their own equivalent Electoral Commissions who participate as witnesses before those parliamentary committees.

“The more the Premier ducks and weaves in his attempts to prevent the parliament from doing its job on behalf of the community, the more he looks like he has something to hide.

“Why do Tasmanians not deserve the same opportunity to participate in a rigorous health check of the conduct of our crucial elections, as our interstate counterparts enjoy?”

Ms Webb thanked the Lower House Independent Member for Clark Kristie Johnston, the Labor Opposition and the Greens for their support for the proposed election inquiry.

On June 29, all independent and Labor MLCs present voted in support of Ms Webb’s motion to establish a Joint Select Committee into the Conduct of the 2021 State and Legislative Council Elections, with the three Liberal MLCs the only ones to vote against the motion.

Following the Legislative Council debate, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission released its Report to the Legislative Council, Analysis of participation rates at the 2021 Legislative Council elections, which found that two forms of voter disenfranchisement occurred within two Upper House electorates. To date, this report has not received parliamentary scrutiny.

Read Meg’s Motion calling for a JSC inquiry into the 2021 elections.