Tasmanian Inquirer – Tasmanian Labor backtracks on key integrity commitments

The Tasmanian Labor Party’s policy platform adopted at a recent state conference abandons key integrity reforms promoted in election campaigns and pitched to crossbench MPs last year.

The “government, law and safety” platform adopted on April 19 at the party’s first state conference since 2019 included support for unspecified changes to “enhance” Tasmania’s Right to Information (RTI) Act. But the platform omits any reference to stricter regulation of lobbyists or to replacing the Integrity Commission with an anti-corruption commission, both measures advocated by Labor’s parliamentary leaders over the past two years.

In mid-2022, the Integrity Commission commenced public consultation on proposals to tighten regulation of Tasmania’s lobbying code of conduct. Ahead of the March 2024 state election, Labor’s then leader Rebecca White endorsed integrity policy reforms – including the regulation of lobbyists – as vital to “restore the public’s trust in politics and restore integrity in our public institutions”.

The shadow attorney-general, Ella Haddad, said Labor would require mandatory disclosure of lobbyists’ meetings with politicians, political offices and senior officials. She said the party would include in-house lobbyists in the proposed scheme, institute a ban on gifts from lobbyists, ban “success fees for lobbyists” and ensure a 12-month cooling-off period for “ministerial staff lobbying in the portfolio they worked in”.

White’s successor, Dean Winter offered only qualified support for lobbying reforms in early 2025, saying they needed “to be practical”. The Integrity Commission abandoned the proposal just before it was due to come into effect, citing opposition from Labor, Liberals and Greens. The Greens said their concerns were satisfactorily addressed and supported the changes. The commission rejected a Tasmanian Inquirer request to publicly release the final submissions by the major parties objecting to the changes.

“If the Labor Party were genuine about promoting integrity and building trust in government, they would fully commit to a rigorous and legislated lobbying framework.”

Meg Webb, independent MP

Haddad did not directly respond to questions from Tasmanian Inquirer on why lobbying reform was omitted from Labor’s new policy platform, and whether it had abandoned support for change. “Labor remains committed to robust integrity reforms and will continue to work constructively with the crossbench during this term of parliament on practical reforms that deliver greater transparency and restore confidence in government institutions,” she said.

Haddad said Labor had worked with the crossbench to censure Liberal MP Nick Duigan for withdrawing support for the North Launceston Football Club after its president attended an ALP press conference, and moved a motion to establish a House of Representatives select committee inquiry into the government’s compliance with caretaker conventions during the 2025 state election. “Labor will continue to hold this Liberal government to account for their gross failure on integrity.”

Reforms overboard

The Rockliff government is implementing some of the 43 recommendations of an independent review of Tasmania’s RTI Act by Professor Tim McCormack and Adjunct Professor Rick Snell. The government is also considering improvements to the disclosure of ministerial appointments diaries after independent Legislative Council MP Meg Webb introduced a motion calling for changes. The disclosure of ministerial diaries was a nation-leading reform adopted in 2009 by then-premier David Bartlett, but Labor has not recently advocated it as a priority integrity reform.

Webb, who has championed a suite of integrity reforms, expressed dismay at Labor’s new platform. “If the Labor Party were genuine about promoting integrity and building trust in government, they would fully commit to a rigorous and legislated lobbying framework,” she said.

Dean Winter promised to outline an integrity policy before the 2025 election, but it was not released.  Labor did release a one-page integrity policy after the election as it sought crossbench support for a motion of no-confidence in the Rockliff government. The policy included commitments to disband the Integrity Commission and establish an anti-corruption commission “with broader powers and jurisdiction” and to “restore the role of the Public Service Commissioner”.

The new policy platform drops this commitment. It says Labor supports “reform” of the current agency and better resourcing, but does not commit to ensuring the agency has broader powers.

The new platform also does not commit Labor to re-introducing a Public Service Commissioner. Re-establishing the position was a recommendation of Peter Woolcott, who the Rockliff government appointed to review the findings of the commission of inquiry into institutional child sex abuse. Woolcott said changing the culture of the state public service was “essential to achieving a stronger focus on the wellbeing and outcomes for the children of Tasmania”.

Webb said there was a widespread view across the community that the Integrity Commission had not delivered what was needed. “They will expect strong, clear commitments and a vision for change from an opposition seeking to win government at the next election,” she said.