The Office of Lord Mayor carries a fundamental duty of honesty, transparency, and respect for the law. Yet the conduct of Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds raises serious concerns about her integrity and suitability to hold this trusted position.
Correspondence with the Attorney-General
Women Speak Tasmania first raised these concerns with Tasmania’s Attorney-General. Our concerns focus on conflicting evidence between RTI documents obtained by WST and the Statutory Declarations made by Lord Mayor Reynolds and former CEO Kelley Grigsby. These declarations concern their respective roles in organising the flying of transgender flags at the Coalition for Biological Reality Public Forum on 26 February 2022 at Hobart Town Hall.
The RTI documents include an email from Working It Out to the Hobart City Council, indicating that the Lord Mayor suggested WIO contact the Council to request the flags be flown. The RTI evidence also confirms that the CEO played a role in authorising the flying of the flags—directly contradicting her Statutory Declaration.
These events are far from minor oversights. They demonstrate a pattern of disregard for legal and ethical standards, striking at the very core of public trust. A Lord Mayor who cannot uphold the truth in official dealings cannot be expected to safeguard the interests of her community.
Further Concerns and the Ombudsman Report
We subsequently wrote again to communicate additional concerns. The Ombudsman has published a report showing that the Hobart City Council—including Lord Mayor Reynolds—breached the Personal Information Protection Act on four separate occasions.
Considering both the Ombudsman’s findings and the issues raised regarding statutory declarations, we are calling on the Government to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into Anna Reynolds’ conduct and her suitability to uphold the public trust expected of the Office of Lord Mayor. We further assert that Reynolds should be stood down pending the outcome of this investigation.
While Hon. Guy Barnett suggested our concerns be raised with Kerry Vincent, the Minister responsible for Local Government, we have not yet received a response from his office.
Tasmanians deserve leaders who meet the highest standards of honesty, transparency, and accountability. Anything less undermines democracy and erodes confidence in our institutions.