Tasmania’s acting director of local government has ruled out further investigation into Hobart’s deputy lord mayor over food and drink taken from Town Hall, saying the matter falls outside his powers.
Luke Gregory told councillors in a letter sent on Friday that the matter involving Zelinda Sherlock did not “fall within my formal jurisdiction regarding potential offences under the Local Government Act 1993”.
He said reviewing CCTV footage of the incidents had not changed the view he reached when the matter was first referred to his office in March.
Gregory also said neither he nor the minister had the power to suspend a councillor while inquiries continued and that a board of inquiry was not warranted over the conduct of one councillor.
He described the saga as “an unfortunate and unhelpful distraction” for the council and the wider municipality.
“I would again ask that you reflect – both individually and collectively – on recent conduct and conflicts and seek to serve out the remainder of this term in a cooperative and respectful way, underpinned by a sense of shared responsibility to serve Hobart residents and ratepayers,” he wrote.
The matter centres on CCTV footage showing Sherlock and an associate leaving the Town Hall’s elected members’ lounge with bags of food and drink on two occasions in January 2024, when the council was not sitting.
Sherlock, a member of the Tasmanian Greens, has admitted taking items and apologised, saying she believed they were part of her role.
She referred herself to Tasmania’s Integrity Commission, which found the matter did not amount to misconduct.
In an Instagram post today that did not mention the food and drink matter, Sherlock described the broader scrutiny of her as a ‘witch-hunt’.
“There is a difference between holding people accountable and hunting them down,” she wrote.
“Hobart should know the difference. This is not about being “woke” – it is about being awake. Awake to the tactics. Awake to the stakes. And awake to the power, of your vote.”
Louise Elliot, who obtained the footage under right to information laws, said on Monday she felt “vindicated”.
“From the moment I saw the tip of this iceberg, it was obvious that things had been handled improperly,” she wrote online.
“I saw a serious governance issue and took action to address it and, as I knew at the time, the approach I was pushing was the right one.”
Alderman Marti Zucco has meanwhile called on the council to release the CCTV footage and commission an independent investigation.
He said the issue was “about transparency, accountability and whether difficult matters are handled fairly and consistently”.
“Given the unanswered questions and damage to public confidence, that investigation must now occur,” he said.
“Ratepayers should not have to rely on competing versions of events when the evidence exists.”
The council voted in July to refer the matter to Tasmania Police.
A police spokesperson said at the time that correspondence had been received and the matter was under consideration.
