Former Primary Industries Minister Sarah Courtney has accused Labor of a “conspiracy theory” over suggestions she used a secretive encrypted messenger service to avoid scrutiny over her relationship with departmental head Dr John Whittington.
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Deputy Labor Leader, Michelle O’Byrne, asked Ms Courtney in Parliament on Wednesday whether she used WhatsApp within her office “and to communicate with the Premier's office, in a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny.”
Ms Courtney did not specifically answer the question and said Labor was being hypocritical.
“We are getting to the final few weeks of Parliament for the year and they are yet to come up with some substantive policies that are going to help the people of Tasmania,” she said
“It is just more hypocrisy.”
Ms O’Byrne said Ms Courtney’s refusal to answer the question in Parliament “reeked of a cover up.”
“We want to know whether Minister Courtney used WhatsApp to communicate within her office and with the Premier’s office before and during the investigation into her breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct over her relationship with Dr Whittington,” she said.
“If she did use this service, she needs to reveal whether she handed over these messages as part of the investigation.”
Ms Courtney said a full investigation had been done into her relationship with Dr Whittington.