Premier slams media on ABC’s Leon Compton show for COVID-19 business grant ‘fatwa’

Premier Peter Gutwein says the media should “take a cold shower” after copping so much blowback for keeping $26M in COVID-19 business grants a secret. LISTEN TO THE HEATED EXCHANGE >>

• Businesses back calls for government to reveal $26M COVID-19 grant recipients
• Govt won’t reveal ‘highly distressing’ list of businesses who received $26M in pandemic grants

PREMIER Peter Gutwein is “arrogant and out of touch” with community demands for transparency about millions of dollars worth of government COVID-19 stimulus grants to business, the Opposition says.

The Liberal government has spent several days hosing down demands for it to release a list of businesses which shared in $26 million worth of funding.

The government says that releasing the information might harm the mental health of grant recipients.

During a combative radio interview, the Premier said calls for the information to be released were “reprehensible”, accused the media of being running a “fatwa” and saying commentators needed to “take a cold shower”.

Premier Peter Gutwein. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

A fatwa is “a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law given by a qualified legal scholar”.

“To be frank, what you’re trying to do is to put pressure on me to release information that I’ve been told if I do so runs the risk of harming Tasmanians,” he told ABC radio mornings host Leon Compton.

Listen to the exchange between Leon Compton and Premier >> CLICK HERE

“I don’t want to run the risk of harming Tasmanians. I would just hope there could be some decency provided by the media.

“To be frank, your headlong rush into this just demonstrates a callous disregard for the health and well being of Tasmanians.”

Labor’s Treasury spokesman David O’Byrne said the government protestations around releasing the information were creating a scandal where one need not exist.

“Peter Gutwein’s extraordinary outburst on morning radio demonstrates his arrogant and out of touch view on transparency and accountability,” he said.

“Peter Gutwein has declared war on the Tasmanian media for asking questions about the probity of the $26 million Small Business Hardship scheme.

Minister David O'Byrne is questioned in relation to the state election date.

“Disclosure of the outcome of publicly-funded grant programs should be a routine matter.

“Peter Gutwein has turned this into a public controversy by digging his heels in, in the face of mounting calls for the government to make public the outcomes of scheme.

“Nobody doubts that businesses have needed and deserved support. And there is no shame in receiving a hardship grant at this difficult time.

“Other tiers of government have openly reported on similar programs and the Premier’s actions have now dragged this important program into unnecessary controversy, exacerbating the challenges for businesses.”

Mr O’Byrne said Labor would continue to push for the release of the information through the Public Accounts Committee process.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said Mr Gutwein wasn’t doing himself any favours.

“Rather than reassuring Tasmanians he has nothing to hide, the Premier’s breathtakingly arrogant and aggressive radio interview will only fuel public suspicion,” he said.

“This looks like a cover up, sounds like a cover up, and smells like a cover up. Given the Liberals’ track record of dodginess and deceit, why would Tasmanians think it’s anything else?”

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