Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to ask the premier what his government’s plans are for the Tasmanian Community Fund. As you’d know, premier, that fund was set aside following the sale of the Trust Bank to benefit in perpetuity the people of Tasmania. Your federal colleague Senator Duniam lodged a complaint with the auditor-general about one grant that had been awarded by the Tas Community Fund. Your government’s reaction has been to threaten the future and independence of the Tasmanian Community Fund. I remind you that in the first budget when you were deputy premier, your government was going to try to take the Tas Community Fund funds and put them under the control of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and we stopped you from doing that. Could you please tell –
Mr ROCKLIFF – Democracy in action.
Ms O’CONNOR – Could you please tell the committee how you will make sure the independence of the Tasmanian Community Fund is protected and that its funds are not subject to any minister’s interference.
Mr ROCKLIFF – The Tasmanian Community Fund provides grants to community organisations to support positive social change, of course, and to meet community needs when it comes to those matters.
Ms O’CONNOR – With a very change focus in this day and age.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, yes. That’s governed by the Tasmanian Community Fund Act 2005. The TCF board has sole discretion on how grants are distributed from the TCF to community projects and how the TCF is managed. The TCF board has announced a new funding strategy for 2024 to 2030 which is focused on removing barriers to learning for children and young people between the ages of eight and 19, and I commend that. The funding strategy also prioritises building the capacity of committee to create and lead their own solutions to complex local issues. Now –
Ms O’CONNOR – Premier, can I just interrupt you there for a minute? Many, many committee members know that about the Tasmanian community fund.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Some might not.
Ms O’CONNOR – Okay. But I’ll just draw you back to what the Chair said before about the need for short questions and answers, and I’d be happy to move on from this when we get some clarity from you about what your Government’s plans are for the Tas community fund.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Okay. I’m not going to speak on behalf of the Auditor-General whose report –
Ms O’CONNOR – I didn’t ask you to.
Mr ROCKLIFF – But the report was done and the use of public funds for such purposes did not meet community expectations. And, you know, the Government did not endorse nor approve the use of these funds. As I say, the TCF governed by the Tas Community Fund Act, and the board has the sole discretion.
Ms O’CONNOR – Are you going to change that?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Now, the review does not suggest the TCF board has operated outside the provisions of its Act, the Government knows that the Tasmanian community expects a high degree of diligence, transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
Ms O’CONNOR – Which the Tas Community Fund board has delivered over many years.
Mr ROCKLIFF – The Tas Community –
Ms O’CONNOR – Could you get back to the question, though?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. The Government has requested advice on possible amendments to the TCF Act, and they support the continued independence of the TCF board while also bringing it into line with the Government’s obligations of other statutory boards with similar decision-making responsibilities for public funds. We expect these amendments to be before the parliament by the end of the year is the advice that I have, and no doubt you will be very interested in those as well.
Ms O’CONNOR – Well, certainly we’ll be very interested. But what, well, certainly the Greens would like to hear is a commitment from you that the Tasmanian Community Fund’s funds will continue to be managed independently and that no minister will have any level of control about how those funds are allocated.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I don’t anticipate that eventuality.
Ms O’CONNOR – You don’t anticipate that the legislative amendments which you flagged would give the minister more decision-making authority over the Tasmanian Community Fund grants that have been approved by the board?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, you’ve rephrased the second part of your question to your first phrasing of the question.
Ms O’CONNOR – Same gist.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I support the, well –
Ms O’CONNOR – Well, it’s about ministerial interference in their decisions.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. No one wants to interfere. The TCF has its role to play. A report was done by the auditor-general as to the learnings from the report.
Ms O’CONNOR – It’s one grant.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Learnings from the report. You know my view on the particular matter concerning the Voice itself. But can I say that we’ll be taking advice on these matters. It is important in terms of the independence, and, you know, I’m not going to get into any hypothetical conversations.
Ms O’CONNOR – It’s not a hypothetical. It’s a really key point.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. I support the independence.
Ms O’CONNOR – Do you agree that no minister should have any control, decision‑making authority over the independence of the Tasmanian Community Fund board decisions?
Mr ROCKLIFF – ‘Control’ is a very strong word and I don’t anticipate this eventuality in that.
Ms O’CONNOR – A final say, for example.
Mr ROCKLIFF – You know, we’ll work – we just have to work through the Act, and we’re not going to put any, you know, clear ‘yeses’ or ‘nos’ on the table. I just want to make sure that the Act is appropriate for the times; that learnings are taken from the matter. I respect those past and present board members of the TCF. I’ve engaged with them as Minister for Community Development and Community Services a number of times. But the changes to the Act which we’ve committed to will be before the parliament, as I’m advised, by the end of this year.
Ms O’CONNOR – Okay.
Mr ROCKLIFF – There’ll be a full and open consultation and you’ll be able to have your say.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I’m mindful of the experience in 2014.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, so am I. I remember it well.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. And I’m mindful of the Tasmanian people’s ownership, if I can call it that, of the TCF.
Ms O’CONNOR – That’s right. So just a final question on this line of questioning. Thank you, Chair. Do you agree as a matter of principle that no minister, including yourself, should be able to get their hands on in any way the Tasmanian Community Fund’s reserved funds?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Can I say the proposed amendments, which aligns with what I’ve been saying, of course, are about accountability and transparency. Given it –
Ms O’CONNOR – That doesn’t answer the question.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Given it involves public funds, I am not removing – not removing – the independence of the TCF decision-making.
Ms O’CONNOR – Will the minister have any final say other than what happens – because I was the minister.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I was the minister, too.
Ms O’CONNOR – That’s right, and what a privilege.
Mr ROCKLIFF – It was.
Ms O’CONNOR – And so the list of approved grants come up and the minister is just to sign under it to say, ‘Great work, team’. There is no authority for the minister to interfere in the disbursement of those funds.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes. I don’t anticipate –
Ms O’CONNOR – Do you agree as a principle that should stay in place?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes, I do. I do.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Okay. There you go.
CHAIR – Thank you.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thanks.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Thank you very much.
CHAIR – Took a while to get there.
Ms WEBB – So easy in the end, wasn’t it? So easy.
CHAIR – Took a while to get to it.
Mr ROCKLIFF – It did, but there was quite an involved, you know, preamble to the question.
Mr EDMUNDS – Yes. Okay.
Ms O’CONNOR – I thought it was pretty succinct, actually.
