Rockliff must uphold own Ministerial Code of Conduct and stand Howlett down

Premier Rockliff’s behaviour over the past six months has shown his judgement can no longer be trusted when it comes to the integrity of his Ministers.

Yesterday, I wrote to the Premier calling on him to remove Minister Jane Howlett from Cabinet until the matter regarding her secret, taxpayer funded $300,000 legal fees is resolved.

The Premier’s own Ministerial Code of Conduct states that Ministers, while in the service of the people of Tasmania, “must uphold the highest standards of integrity and be honest, professional, and accountable in the performance of all their duties.”

It also states that Ministers are expected to behave according to the “highest ethical standards”, that “merely avoiding breaking the law will not always be enough to guarantee an acceptable standard of conduct”, and that Ministers must not only act lawfully, but also “in a manner which withstands the closest public scrutiny.”

In Labor’s view, public confidence and trust in Minister Howlett has been eroded by her failure to provide answers to the serious questions surrounding her conduct.

Ministers must be beyond reproach. They cannot sit around the Cabinet table while hiding behind legal secrecy over hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money.

The Premier accepted Madeleine Ogilvie’s resignation because she was unable to answer questions about her own taxpayer-funded legal fees and legal proceedings.

The same standard must apply to Minister Howlett.

Minister Howlett’s position in Cabinet is untenable while she refuses to answer basic questions about a secret legal matter funded by Tasmanian taxpayers.

The Premier must uphold his own Ministerial code and stand her down until the matter is resolved.