The release of CCTV footage showing Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock allegedly removing items from Town Hall has been put on hold after one of the people shown sought a review.
The footage was due to be released after a council officer approved a right to information application from Councillor Louise Elliot on September 30.
The City of Hobart said on Wednesday night it had received a request for an internal review of that decision within the 10-working-day time frame.
“Council must not provide the information referred to in the decision notice until that review determines that the information should be provided,” a council email obtained by Pulse said.
The council said the review should be completed within 15 working days of the application.
The correspondence does not say whether Sherlock or her associate requested the review.
The seven clips, recorded on January 7 and 10, 2024, run from 12 seconds to five and a half minutes.
According to the decision notice, Sherlock and her associate both objected to the footage being released in full.
Sherlock asked for her identity to be redacted out of concern for her personal safety, including the possibility of “further abuse or threats of violence”.
The council refused, finding her identity was already widely known after unredacted still images from the same recordings were released and widely circulated in July.
Her associate, a private individual, was to be blacked out throughout.
The council found the strongest reason for release was accountability for its handling of the matter, which “has itself become the subject of considerable public scrutiny”.
The still images showed two people making two trips on each date, entering with an empty bag and leaving with a full one.
Police confirmed earlier this month that Sherlock would face no further action after the acting Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the case.
The Integrity Commission cleared her of misconduct in June.
Sherlock has admitted taking items over several years and apologised, saying she misunderstood council policy, but has described the scrutiny as a “political assassination”.
She is running for re-election as deputy lord mayor at this month’s council elections.
Zelinda Sherlock did not respond to Pulse’s request for comment.
