Tasmanian activist Jess Hoyle is fast becoming the scourge of dodgy mayors in our fair state. Hoyle is a lesbian woman and activist for women’s, particularly lesbian women’s issues, with group LGB Tasmania. In 2022, Hoyle was denied the right to hold a lesbian-women-only event, on the grounds that it discriminated against men who claim to be women.
In 2022, Hoyle also broke the scandal that led to former Launceston mayor Danny Gibson’s resignation and public disgrace. Now, she’s gunning for Hobart mayor Anna Reynolds with a petition calling for her resignation. So far, over 1,000 people have signed the petition, including Hoyle, says Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff. Four of Hobart’s 12 councillors are also calling for action against Reynolds.
Four Hobart councillors have written to Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent, urging him to “take action” against her after the ombudsman found she breached Tasmania’s personal information laws.
In 2023, fellow Hobart councillor Louise Elliot – in her personal capacity – applied to book Hobart town hall ballroom for an invitation-only ‘community forum on women’s rights and free speech’. On the assumption that the forum would feature Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, Reynolds secretly tipped off tranny activists about Elliot’s personal request. This was a gross violation of privacy laws.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds violated privacy laws when she tipped off transgender activists about a planned women’s rights event at Hobart’s Town Hall, Tasmania’s Ombudsman has ruled.
An investigation found that Reynolds shared confidential information about councillor Louise Elliot’s personal request to book the ballroom for a “community forum on women’s rights and free speech” in November 2023.
The Lord Mayor, driven by her own view that the request was discriminatory, provided activists with council contact information to lodge objections.
Council staff subsequently denied Eliot’s booking, lying that the venue was not available on the requested date.
In his findings released this week, Ombudsman Richard Connock identified four separate privacy breaches.
The first was committed by Council’s Connected City Director, who improperly shared booking details with the executive leadership team.
The second was when Lord Mayor Reynolds leaked Elliot’s confidential information and the third when the Connected City Director, serving as acting CEO, discussed the booking with the activists.
The fourth breach was committed by the council itself, which failed to take reasonable steps to protect Elliot’s personal information from misuse or disclosure.
Even after the misconduct was brought to light and condemned by the Ombudsman, Reynolds refuses to acknowledge her wrongdoing.
Louise Elliot described the council and Lord Mayor’s actions as “unfathomable” following the lengthy investigation.
“A key issue for me in this latest development is that, even now, the Lord Mayor thinks she’s done nothing wrong,” Elliot said. “There’s no lesson learned, let alone any genuine apology from her.”
“We have a Lord Mayor that doesn’t have a grip on the fundamental basics of governance like privacy and discrimination law and thinks they’re above the law, even if she understood it.”
“It’s clear she also thinks her views are so enlightened that anything she does is justified.”
While the City of Hobart CEO made an ‘unreserved public apology’ to Councillor Elliot, Reynolds insists she shared the information for ‘lawful and legitimate purposes’.
In 2023, Cr Reynolds was cautioned for making “intentional physical contact” with Ms Elliot – prior to her being on council – during a town hall meeting about the University of Tasmania.
As Jim Goad once said, these people have their heads so far up their own arses with their assumed unimpeachable moral self-righteousness that it’s a wonder they don’t suffocate.
Cr Elliot, along with fellow councillors John Kelly and Will Coats, and Alderman Marti Zucco, have written to Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent urging him to take action against Cr Reynolds.
They suggested that the director of local government lodge a code of conduct complaint, and that any potential breaches of the Local Government Act be assessed.
“We believe that it is proper and appropriate for the lord mayor to be stood down via an appropriate mechanism and/or asked to take leave until the above and any other pathways for accountability you see fit are finished,” the letter reads.
Dodgy Tasmanian mayors might want to consider themselves on notice.
