Labor renews call for investigation into Health Minister’s discussion with Cricket Tasmania

HEALTH Minister Michael Ferguson has failed to deny he discussed with Cricket Tasmania the private health matters of a former staff member.

HEALTH Minister Michael Ferguson has failed to deny he discussed with Cricket Tasmania the private health matters of former staff member Angela Williamson.

It has prompted Labor Leader Rebecca White to renew calls for Premier Will Hodgman to establish an independent investigation into Mr Ferguson’s discussion with Cricket Tasmania.

On Wednesday, Mr Ferguson did not deny that he had discussed Ms Williamson’s pregnancy termination with the cricket organisation.

As revealed by the Mercury, Ms Williamson was sacked by Cricket Australia in June after her social media comments about Tasmanian abortion services apparently contravened the organisation’s social media policy.

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Angela Williamson has taken Cricket Australia to the Fair Work Commission over her dismissal.

Ms Williamson’s claim of unfair dismissal from her government relations manager’s job is before Fair Work Australia.

Interstate media reported on Monday that Ms Williamson believed it was Mr Ferguson who disclosed information of her pregnancy termination to Cricket Tasmania.

“During this process I was told that my personal story, including that I had a termination, was disclosed by the Health Minister,” she reportedly said.

Mr Ferguson was asked directly on Wednesday: “Did you discuss Angela Williamson’s abortion with Cricket Tasmania?”

He repeated the Government’s position that it had not sought Ms Williamson’s dismissal.

He did not deny that he had spoken about Ms Williamson’s private health matters, clarifying only that he did not speak about anything that was not already “on the public record”.

“Any suggestion that the Government has disclosed private information, not on the public record, to either Cricket Australia or Cricket Tasmania is false,” he said.

Labor leader Rebecca White. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Health Minister Michael Ferguson. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Ms White said Mr Ferguson may have not just acted inappropriately but had potentially broken the law by sharing private medical details.

“The only way to get to the bottom of this important issue is to establish a full, comprehensive and independent investigation,” she said.

Mr Ferguson repeated the government’s position that the government had done nothing wrong.

“The Government has not made contact and has not pressured Cricket Tasmania or Cricket Australia to dismiss or discipline Ms Williamson,” he said.

“You know there is a legal matter currently in play and it is for those reasons that I am very limited in what I can say.

“I can confirm that the government has done nothing to try to encourage or suggest that Ms Williamson be dismissed and any suggestion to the contrary is completely false.

“The Tasmanian Government and I, we have not made any phone calls, it’s on the record that we received a phone call of apology.”