Independent Member for Franklin, David O’Byrne, has added his voice to calls for greater government transparency, focusing on the use of taxpayer money for ministerial legal fees, the ABC has reported. This comes amid ongoing debate about accountability and integrity in Tasmanian politics.

Earlier this year, the Rockliff Government initiated several reforms aimed at improving transparency. In June, Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced new measures to strengthen oversight of legal assistance provided to ministers, stating the public should have confidence in how public funds are spent. The government’s plan includes enhanced public reporting of legal expenditure and a review of the guidelines for granting such indemnities. This followed public discussion around legal assistance provided to former minister Madeleine Ogilvie.

The government has also been acting on a broader transparency agenda. In March, it committed to backing 32 of 43 recommendations from an independent review of the state’s Right to Information (RTI) system. The review found the system was undermined by a “risk adverse” culture in government, and Premier Rockliff promised the reforms would implement a “staged program” to strengthen the system.

However, some critics argue these changes do not go far enough. Independent Member for Nelson, Meg Webb, has been critical of the government’s recently updated ministerial diary disclosure policy, arguing in a June analysis that it provides less information than what is available under RTI law and less than what was disclosed 16 years ago.

The performance of the government on integrity matters has been mixed, according to a February report from the Centre for Public Integrity. The report noted some positive engagement with reform but also highlighted “significant integrity lapses and failures to follow through on established reform pathways”.

Mr O’Byrne, a former Labor leader who was elected as an independent in 2024, now provides confidence and supply to the minority Liberal government. His comments, as reported by the ABC, align with ongoing calls from crossbench members for more stringent accountability measures to ensure public confidence in government expenditure and decision-making.

The original ABC News report can be found at abc.net.au/news.