Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest said she was verbally threatened by Infrastructure minister Rene Hidding at a social event on Tuesday. 

Ms Forrest said she felt upset and angry after Mr Hidding attempted to bully and coerce her into preventing the delay of a bill that would allow the state’s disused railways to be repurposed for tourism projects. 

“The minister came over and proceeded to talk to me about the bill- I know he’s quite passionate about the bill- and he became very aggressive, very intimidating in his mannerisms and voice,” Ms Forrest said.

“He suggested a number of things, mainly that if the bill wasn’t dealt with on Wednesday [this week] then the funding for the Burnie rail project would disappear and that would be my responsibility.”

Mr Hidding said he did not realise at the time that he had offended Ms Forrest and described their conversation as a “robust argument”. 

He said he had since apologised to Ms Forrest in person. 

“There were no threats, no intimidation and I certainly wasn’t seeking her vote for or against the bill,” Mr Hidding said. 

“She characterised my behaviour in a way that I felt I should apologise for and I did, unreservedly.” 

Opposition leader Bryan Green said Mr Hidding should step down from his position and the matter should be taken to Tasmania Police. 

He called for an investigation to look into whether Mr Hidding was in breach of the Criminal Code, which prevents the unlawful influence of members. 

“Mr Hidding’s position is untenable,” Mr Green said. 

“This cannot be fobbed off, it cannot be swept under the carpet.” 

Ms Forrest said while Mr Hidding did not physically intimidate her, it was important to acknowledge that a person did not need to be hit to feel assaulted. 

She said Mr Hidding should be called out on his behavior, regardless of whether it is a criminal issue.

“My main objective here is to make sure this behavior is not accepted,” Ms Forrest said. 

“I’ve been around the traps a while, I see how these things work.” 

Debate of proposed legislation to allow the development of rail trails across the state’s North has been adjourned until October.