The Tasmanian Greens have joined Labor in demanding Racing Minister Jane Howlett be stood down from cabinet over more than $300,000 in undisclosed, taxpayer-funded legal bills.
The calls come as Premier Jeremy Rockliff stands by his minister ahead of parliament resuming on Tuesday.
Howlett has racked up the fees since 2023. She says the money was spent on her ministerial duties, but has refused to explain what the matter involves.
Labor leader Josh Willie wrote to the premier on Friday, urging him to make Howlett stand aside until the issue is resolved.
“Ministers must be beyond reproach,” Willie wrote.
“They cannot sit around the cabinet table while hiding behind legal secrecy over hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money.”
He warned the issue would “not go away”.
“It will remain an ongoing distraction for your government for as long as you refuse to uphold basic standards of accountability,” he said.
“Tasmanians deserve a government focused on them, not a premier protecting ministers who refuse to explain why taxpayers are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret legal fees.”
The Greens have now thrown their support behind that call, with leader Rosalie Woodruff describing Howlett’s position as “untenable”.
Woodruff said it was “not acceptable” for a minister to stay in the job while under active consideration for alleged wrongdoing, drawing on taxpayer money to fund their defence and dodging questions.
“If it was any other public servant facing these circumstances, they would be stood down pending an outcome,” she said.
“If she can’t answer questions about the matter – whether because she doesn’t want to or she can’t – the minister should be stood down from her position until it is resolved and answers can be provided.”
Both parties have drawn comparisons with former minister Madeleine Ogilvie, who resigned late last month after revealing she was involved in a Supreme Court matter she had initiated but could not detail.
They argue the same standard should apply to Howlett. Rockliff, however, is standing firm.
In a written reply to Willie on Saturday, he described legal support for ministers as “long-standing and appropriate” and not evidence of misconduct.
The premier dismissed the comparison with Ogilvie as “entirely disingenuous”.
“There is no basis for the conclusion you advance that her position is “untenable”, nor is there justification for your call that she stand aside,” the premier wrote.
In a statement, Rockliff said he wanted the focus back on the state budget, the Liberty Bell Bay smelter, health and housing.
“I do not intend to say anything inside parliament that I cannot lawfully say outside parliament,” he said.
“It’s time these political games came to an end.”
The government says Howlett’s fees followed indemnity protocols.
