Transcript of media conference with Kristie Johnston, independent MHA for Clark, Parliament Lawns, Hobart, 11 April 2024.
Kristie Johnston
Today I have called and written to the Premier and called upon him to declare that none of his Cabinet Ministers nor his nominee for the Speaker position is under investigation or has had a report from the Integrity Commission. It is really important that Tasmanians have confidence and trust in their Members of Parliament, in particular, the Cabinet Ministers, and most importantly, in the Speaker role itself. It’s an incredibly important and privileged position in Parliament. And it is important that Tasmanians know that their nominee for Speaker is not under investigation by the Commission.
With the announcement yesterday of the Ministerial portfolio allocation, there’s some serious concerns that I have. First and foremost, we’ve moved to a 35-Member Parliament to try and ensure that Ministers weren’t overloaded with work. But what we see here is that Minister Barnett, still has very important and very large portfolios of Health and Attorney General. That is an enormous workload for one person, that is a real concern.
We’ve also seen the splitting of Education and Children & Youth, that’s a really difficult position, particularly when we’re considering the Commission of Inquiry response and the implementation of recommendations. So there is a real concern about scrutiny, and about the lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to the implementation and responses there.
I’m also concerned that the Minister for Finance has been removed from the Deputy Premier, and now sits with Minister Street. That will suggest to me that mandatory cards are dead in the water. They’re a dead duck. As we were concerned about during the election campaign is that it’s been taken away from Minister Ferguson who had a personal commitment to mandatory card scheme as well.
I’m also concerned that Racing Minister Jane Howlett has been appointed, again, given the great concerns we had when she was last Minister, and also concerns about the way in which she left the Ministerial portfolios last time.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
We’ll start with the Commission stuff, is there any reason to believe that any of them might be under investigation?
Kristie Johnston
We know from the Integrity Commission reports that there are a number of investigations underway into elected members. Now, I declare that I am not under investigation by the Integrity Commission. I understand the Labor Party have had all their candidates and members declare that they are not under investigation, I would assume that Rosalie Woodruff as leader of the Greens would be able to make the same declaration. So I call upon the Premier to declare that none of his Ministers or his nominee for the Speaker under investigation or have had a report against them.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
Why is that so important in particular for the Speaker to not be compromised in that way.
Kristie Johnston
It’s incredibly important for the speaker to not be compromised in that way because they hold an incredibly privileged position within Parliament. It’s a position that requires the greatest of integrity when it comes to acting impartially in the Parliament. It also is a position that holds great privilege in terms of the Speaker is beyond reproach. So no one can name the Speaker or be critical of the Speaker without being named in Parliament itself.
So it’s a position that’s almost as I say beyond reproach. It’s important that Tasmanians understand that when you hold a privileged position, such as Speaker or Minister in the Cabinet, that you have the utmost of integrity. And if there are two Members that are under investigation, as we suspect, then that is a real concern to Tasmanians.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
On the portfolios, is it a bit of a slap in the face I guess for Jane Howlett to have Racing again, given she copped so much scrutiny for it?
Kristie Johnston
Look, we know that the Racing portfolio has been mishandled by a number of Ministers including Jane Howlett previously, but also Felix Ellis [inaudible] and Madeleine Ogilvie. It is a great concern when we’re considering issues of integrity within the racing industry that Jane Howlett has that portfolio back again. We know that she’s incredibly close to the racing industry, and is incredibly involved in the racing industry. That is why she turned a blind eye at the time to a series of failings in the industry. It is concerning that she’s back in that role again.
Tasmanian Times
Yesterday, after the JLN and Rockliff deal was announced I’ve have been scanning through the social media and through what’s been published in Mercury and ABC. I’m struggling to find anyone with with a really positive opinion on it. So you’ve had a chance to sleep on it, you made some comments yesterday. Is there anything else that’s occurred to you since then?
Kristie Johnston
In the harsh light of day today it looks just as bad as it did yesterday. Certainly, I’m very concerned about that particular deal. They have signed away their ability to represent Tasmanians, and those particularly who voted for a Jacqui Lambie Network who wanted integrity and transparency. They have completely silenced themselves on the floor of the Parliament. It is really disappointing that they have given away those opportunities to hold the government to account, to demand greater integrity and transparency, and they’ve given it away for practically nothing.
Tasmanian Times
I mean, that’s the conundrum, isn’t it? They at their first press conference the other day, they said the key thing that they heard while campaigning was that people felt they didn’t have a voice and they wanted to be their voice, and effectively they’ve committed to voting with the Liberals on every single thing from here until eternity?
Kristie Johnston
That’s a disappointing thing. And I suspect there are many Tasmanians that are disappointed that they have put their faith and trust in the Jacqui Lambie Network, I need to find that at the first point, they’ve abandoned them, and they have sided with the Liberal government the Rockliff government, the real test for them will be on integrity and transparency.
So the real test for them will be, for instance, around the call that I’ve made today about ensuring that none of the Ministers in Cabinet nor the nominee for Speaker is under investigation by the Integrity Commission. Now quite clearly, they’ve named up concerns with the integrity Commission in their deal with Rockcliff. They are concerned about integrity. They’ve said that \at I think at every press conference. They ought to be seeking the same declaration that I have today from the Premier, that none of his Ministers, and indeed his nominee for Speaker is under investigation. Surely they can’t enter into an arrangement where they walk in to Parliament on day one, and support someone who they don’t think is appropriate, and perhaps has not acted with integrity.
Tasmanian Times
The confirmation of the Speaker’s is a decision of the Parliament not of any particular party. So is there a chance that the other 18 who as yet have not signed any kind of agreement could could choose their own Speaker?
Kristie Johnston
There is absolutely a chance that could occur. It would require a contested ballot, obviously. But I think as a matter of principle, that the Premier when he considers who his nominee should be, as a leader of government, should be putting forward someone who he knows acts with integrity and the greatest of integrity. Now, that’s a declaration for him to make. And I would hope that he could make that declaration and it would be greatly concerning it to myself, the community and I would hope to the Jacqui Lambie Network members, if you can’t make that declaration.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
Is there anyone you think would be good to be Speaker?
Kristie Johnston
Look, I haven’t given consideration to who might be a good Speaker. But what I do know that position is incredibly privileged, as I say, and it needs to be someone who is capable of acting impartially, someone who has and demonstrates great integrity, and someone who brings to that role, a recognition of the importance of Speaker and who can recognise that we do have a very different looking Parliament now. We need to have a Parliament that acts more maturely with respect and can crack down on some of that bad behaviour
Tasmanian Times
You’ve talked previously about wanting to ban Dorothy Dixers but in the agreement yesterday there’s a part about the three JLN members have to effectively agree with the Liberal Party about allocation of questions to government members. So again, how do you consider that is going to be for the health of the Parliament and the democratic processes?
Kristie Johnston
It’s concerning. It certainly is concerning, that particular clause in the agreement. I would hope that Premier Rockliff would work with the entire crossbench and with the opposition when it comes to the allocation of things like question time, MPI time and Private Members’ Time given the diversity in Parliament. I am concerned that there’s been a deal stitched up between the Jacqui Lambie Network and Rockcliff government to provide less time to the opposition and the crossbench. And I don’t think that fairly represents what Tasmanians want in the terms of the diversity of Parliament they elected. And I would be concerned that we will see the continuation of Dorothy Dixers.
Tasmanian Times
And he appears to have offered them some more resources, roughly equivalent to what the Greens got. Is there anything that has been in the discussions that you’ve had with him about resources for the other three independent members?
Kristie Johnston
Certainly nothing has been made certain or clarified, but I have expressed to other Premier that all individuals in the in the Parliament need to be a resource properly, particularly the crossbench given the demands on them, the increased demands on them in a minority government situation. I know, for instance, already that my electorate officer has had a significant increase in requests for meetings, for stakeholder liaison meetings, for constituents not just from Clark, but from right across the state. And so it’s important particularly when we’re dealing with some quite complex bills and legislation that crossbench members are adequately resourced.
