Labor calls in cops to investigate Liberal print spend for Tasmanian poll

Tasmania’s volatile election campaign has taken another dramatic turn, with Labor making a complaint to police accusing the Liberal cabinet of criminal theft.

One of the Tasmanian Liberal pamphlets referred to police for investigation.

Tasmania’s volatile election campaign has taken another dramatic turn, with Labor making a complaint to police accusing the Liberal cabinet of criminal theft of public funds.

In a letter to Police Commissioner Darren Hine on Friday, Labor justice spokeswoman Ella Haddad urged a criminal probe into Liberal MPs’ use of parliamentary allowances to fund party pamphlets distributed during the campaign.

“In essence, the issue is whether (or not) they have committed the offence of stealing by appropriation,” Ms Haddad wrote. “As much as $150,000 of public money may be involved.”

The complaint alleged the use of MPs’ taxpayer-funded Resource Allocation to fund glossy brochures distributed to voters during the campaign might breach section 231 of the state criminal code.

This makes it an offence for anyone receiving money for a purpose specified in a direction to then “in violation of good faith and contrary to such direction dishonestly” apply the funds to another purpose.

“The Premier and his colleagues received the entitlements with a direction that they be applied to a specific purpose and instead they used the money in violation of good faith and contrary to the direction,” Ms Haddad wrote.

“I urge you to commence investigations into these most serious matters forthwith.”

Tasmania Police said it had received the complaint. “It is being assessed. It is not appropriate to comment further at this stage,” a spokeswoman said.

Ms Haddad’s formal complaint forwarded to Mr Hine an article in The Weekend Australian last week, in which Liberal campaign spokesman, MP Michael Ferguson, confirms the pamphlets were funded by MPs’ parliamentary Resource Allocation.

Rules for the use of these taxpayer funds — $10,000 per MP — state they can only be spent on “research and support, or equipment”.

While this can include printed material detailing policy, the rules state this “cannot” be able to be deemed “election material”.

The pamphlets — which include the images of Liberal MPs in the last parliament but not new candidates — have been circulated to households in all five state electorates.

They appear to have been produced before the snap poll was called by Mr Gutwein, but have been distributed since the election campaign began.

Labor’s complaint is against Mr Gutwein, eight further cabinet ministers and six other Liberal MPs. Mr Gutwein and the Liberals had not responded to requests for comment by deadline on Friday.