ACCOUNTABILITY and transparency are in short supply when it comes to politics in Tasmania. The March State election, which was bought by the gaming and hotels industry for the Hodgman government, is a case in point. While the media caravan has moved on, it is critical that there be answers to the extraordinary events that saw the Liberal Party outspend its opponents by millions of dollars in campaigning. It was ugly and dishonest then and needs to be reckoned with now.
Last week a group of concerned members of the Tasmanian community launched an effort to ensure we do not forget what happened earlier this year. The group, led by lawyer and gun control campaigner Roland Browne, gaming machine campaigner Pat Caplice, environmental activists Ted Cutlan, Rebecca Howarth and Amanda Sully have proposed a series of questions to the man who led the charge to undermine democracy in Tasmania during the election, Premier Will Hodgman.
Some will no doubt switch off at the listing of those names and causes. ‘Here we go again, sore losers, the anti everything brigade etc” will be the reaction of those readers. But to do so would be to miss the point. The questions raised by these individuals, who have formed a group called Tasmania 2018 Election Inquiry, are serious, legitimate and go to the heart of the supposed democratic values of accountability and transparency …
