Former staffer claims taxpayer-funded adviser was forced to campaign for Liberal candidate
A former Tasmanian Liberal staffer testified that, while paid as a parliamentary adviser, she was made to do door-knocking and other campaign work for candidate Jane Howlett, a claim the government denies.
Sharee Minnikin-Smith appeared before the House of Assembly Committee on Caretaker conventions and said that, although hired in November 2023 as a parliamentary adviser to Legislative Council member Leonie Hiscutt, she spent the entirety of her work time over five months conducting campaign tasks for Liberal candidate Jane Howlett, such as door-knocking, letter-boxing and sending a policy email from a government address.
The government responded that the privileged accusations are “incorrect.” The episode comes as Tasmania’s Integrity Commission released a report recommending tighter controls on staff time-keeping to prevent misuse of taxpayer resources for party politics. Ministerial staff are allowed to hold political views but may not perform party work during official hours.
The committee also heard about an “accidental” email sent from Minnikin-Smith’s government account at Howlett’s instruction, which the premier said was a mistake. Labor MP Dean Winter called the allegations serious and questioned whether the issue reflects a broader systemic problem.
Why it matters
It raises concerns that public funds may be used for partisan campaigning, challenging the integrity of Tasmania’s political system.
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