Extraordinary situation could see Treasurer held in contempt

 Public Accounts Committee refers Treasurer to both Houses
 Government refuses to comply with summons for critical document
 Gutwein desperate to keep his role in energy crisis from Tasmanians
 Full extent of Hodgman Government’s determined secrecy now exposed
Treasurer Peter Gutwein could be found in contempt of Parliament after failing to comply with a summons to produce documents before the powerful Public Accounts Committee.
Deputy Labor Leader Michelle O’Byrne said this morning’s special hearing of the committee was extraordinary viewing.
“The Treasurer’s unwillingness to comply with the orders of the Public Accounts Committee is unprecedented,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“Tasmania is now in the extraordinary situation where the Treasurer – a Minister of the Crown – could be found in contempt of the Parliament with the matter now referred to both houses.
“Tasmanians will see this astonishing situation for what it is – a Government that is obviously willing to go to remarkable lengths to hide this document from the public and keep its strategy around the sale of the Tamar Valley Power Station and its role in the subsequent energy crisis shrouded in secrecy.
“The document the Committee is seeking – and has been seeking for some time – is a letter from the Treasurer to the Energy Minister Matthew Groom detailing a strategy around the power station sale.
“It is not Cabinet-in-confidence as the government claims – it is correspondence.
“The Treasurer could provide no evidence that the document is protected by Cabinet-in-confidence. His excuses were flimsy and not relevant to the issue before the committee.
“Did the Government seek the advice of the Solicitor General in relation to the document?
“The Liberals have been desperate to cover up their role in the energy crisis but today it’s reached a whole new level.”
Michelle O’Byrne MP Deputy Labor Leader