It is now less than two weeks out from the election and there are still serious questions about the integrity of Jeremy Rockliff’s so called ‘team of the decade’.
For two years, the Liberals have failed to deal with the allegations of a serious, unmanaged conflict of interest in former Sports Minister Jane Howlett’s dealings with the Tasmanian JackJumpers. They did not initiate an investigation when allegations were made by the media and never answered questions critical to public confidence in the integrity of the Liberal Government.
The allegation is that Jane Howlett had a conflict of interest in her dealings with the Tasmanian JackJumpers. Jane Howlett refused to answer questions about it and yet there is proof of Ms Howlett signing off on public funding being shovelled into the entity.
The allegations are so serious it appears, based on the timeline of the investigation, that the Integrity Commission has been investigating the issue for two years.
There are serious questions Jeremy Rockliff needs to answer today.
- Does Mr Rockliff believe Ms Howlett was in a close personal relationship with the CEO of the JackJumpers when she was the Minister responsible for approving millions of dollars of funding to the organisation?
- Does Mr Rockliff believe Ms Howlett correctly managed any conflicts of interest regarding the funding appropriately?
This is shaping as Mr Rockliff’s “Terry” Brooks moment. Just as Peter Gutwein did, he has been deflecting and refusing to answer serious questions about the credibility of his candidates.
Dean Winter MP
