Hobart’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Dr Zelinda Sherlock, is facing calls for an independent investigation after documents revealed she took council-funded refreshments, including alcohol and snacks, for use in her home office.

According to reporting from Pulse Tasmania, CCTV footage from January 2024 was recently released under a Right to Information request lodged by Councillor Louise Elliot. The footage reportedly shows Cr Sherlock and another person visiting the Town Hall members’ lounge on two separate occasions when the council was not in session, entering with an empty bag and leaving with it full.

Internal council emails, also released, show staff had monitored “unusual stock levels” for months, Pulse Tasmania reported. In January 2024, a staff member noted that items including sparkling wine, beer, soft drinks, chocolate, and nuts had disappeared from a restocked lounge within 48 hours, despite no meetings being held.

In a 2024 memo from the then-acting chief executive Neil Noye, it was recorded that Cr Sherlock said she had been taking refreshments for “a number of years” and believed they were part of the “fringe benefits” of her role, according to Pulse Tasmania. Mr Noye noted at the time that the policy did not clearly state items had to be consumed on-site and concluded no further action was needed. He recorded that Cr Sherlock had apologised for the misunderstanding.

Cr Sherlock has stated the matter was dealt with at the time and that she had previously accepted advice that “work snacks could not be consumed elsewhere,” Pulse Tasmania reported. She has described the renewed focus on the issue as politically motivated ahead of council elections, accusing colleagues of trying to “manufacture dirt”.

Four councillors—Marti Zucco, Louise Elliot, John Kelly and Will Coats—have since lodged a motion calling for an external probe into the conduct and how it was handled internally, according to Pulse Tasmania. Cr Kelly told the outlet there cannot be “one standard for elected members and another for council employees”.

The controversy has also drawn comment from Tasmania’s Local Government Minister, Kerry Vincent, who told Pulse Tasmania he was watching the council closely and would “much rather see vibrant building applications being talked about, not snacks and drinks”.

The original reporting on the release of the Right to Information documents can be found at Pulse Tasmania.