Former Tasmanian Minister Jane Howlett Accused of Using Public Resources for Campaign

Former parliamentary staffer Sharee Minnikin‑Smith testified to a Tasmanian parliamentary committee that she was directed by former minister Jane Howlett to use official government email and other public resources for election campaigning. She said that from January 2024 until the March state election, all of her duties involved campaign activities such as door‑knocking, letter‑boxing, compiling constituent lists and organising events, even after Howlett ceased to be a sitting member of the upper house.

Howlett resigned from the Legislative Council on 24 February to contest the lower‑house seat of Lyons. Premier Jeremy Rockliff had earlier described the use of the government email for campaign material as an inadvertent error by a staff member, a characterization Minnikin‑Smith disputed.