Have Your Say on Use of Public Resources During Election Campaigns in Tasmania

Media release – Julia Hickey, Acting CEO, Tasmanian Integrity Commission, 6 August 2024

Have your say on use of public resources during election campaigns in Tasmania

The Integrity Commission today launched a public consultation process, seeking input from key stakeholders and the community on the use and misuse of resources in parliamentary elections.

Acting Chief Executive Officer Julia Hickey said that it is essential that the public have confidence that elections are carried out ethically.

“Elections are the cornerstone of democracy. The Tasmanian community needs to have confidence that election campaigns are run fairly, transparently, and in the public interest,” Ms Hickey said.

“The Integrity Commission aims to ensure that election campaign misconduct risks are communicated to the public and to promote discussion about potential solutions. Public resources must be used in the public interest.”

Resources discussed in the paper include staff, advertising and communications, and other allowances.

The consultation paper is part of a series on ethical conduct and potential misconduct risks in Tasmanian parliamentary elections.

The paper summarises the relevant issues and includes prompts to guide submissions from stakeholders.

Submissions can be made from now until 3 September, 2024. More information on how you can ‘have your say’ can be found at the Commission’s website: https://www.integrity.tas.gov.au/research-and-education/research.

Media release – Guy Barnett, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, 6 August 2024

Making Tasmanian elections material clearer

An amendment to section 196 of the Electoral Act 2004, which will remove the prohibition on using the names and images of candidates in advertising, is a step closer after the Electoral Amendment Bill 2024 passed the House of Assembly today.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, said that this change will bring about greater clarity for Tasmanian voters.

“The amendment Bill will modernise the Electoral Act 2004, and bring Tasmania’s law on this issue in line with those which apply in other jurisdictions,” the Attorney-General said.

“The Bill limits the application of section 196 of the Act to how-to-vote cards only and also modifies the wording to ensure that the now limited prohibition extends to ‘keeping on display’ as well as the initial act of printing, publishing and distribution.

“Elections are a sacred pillar in our modern democracy and this action will provide Tasmanians with an eye for greater transparency during an election period.

“This was a commitment we made under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future and I am proud we have delivered on our promise.”