Independent Investigation into Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor to be Debated Behind Closed Doors Amid Blackmail Allegations

Calls for an independent investigation into Hobart's deputy lord mayor will be debated behind closed doors, as a stoush over town hall snacks continues.

It comes after an email sent by one of the councillors spearheading the campaign against Deputy Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock was likened to blackmail and referred to Tasmania's Police Commissioner.

Cr Sherlock has been lambasted by a group of her fellow councillors this year, after it was revealed she previously brought home food and drinks from a council lounge.

Tasmania's Integrity Commission chose not to investigate the matter, finding it did not constitute misconduct, but furious councillors have refused to let the matter die.

A motion seeking an independent investigation into the dispute was tabled by councillors Louise Elliot, Will Coats, John Kelly and Marti Zucco ahead of next Monday's ordinary meeting.

Set to be debated during the closed section of the meeting, the motion calls for the Director of Local Government to investigate the incidents and the council's handling of them.

Email referred to police commissioner

The tabling of the motion comes after Cr Elliot sent an email to Cr Sherlock, in which she said footage of the incident was "considerably more concerning than I had anticipated".

In the email, Cr Elliot offered to withdraw her motion if Cr Sherlock publicly announced her resignation as an elected member by 4pm on Tuesday, 21 July.

"If you do so, the proposed motions would be withdrawn from the council agenda, and the matter could then move forward without further public escalation," Cr Elliot wrote.

Fabiano Cangelosi, a lawyer representing Cr Sherlock, has alleged the email is akin to blackmail and referred it to Tasmania's Police Commissioner Donna Adams.

"In our submission, the communication plainly contains threats constituting an attack [on] our client's will to remain as an elected member of council."

Cr Elliot said the suggestion her email constituted blackmail was "laughable" and "absolutely absurd".

"She's clearly looking to deflect attention away from her own conduct because this is only a few days after myself and four others have seen the CCTV footage," she said.

"I was giving her a heads-up that this issue can't just slide and that I personally would encourage her to resign so the whole issue can be put behind everyone."

The dispute stems from revelations earlier this year that Cr Sherlock had taken food and drinks from the elected members' lounge in the Hobart Town Hall in early 2024.

Cr Sherlock acknowledged taking the items over several years and said she believed it was a workplace entitlement, describing it as a misunderstanding of council policy.

CCTV footage obtained by Cr Elliot under Right to Information provisions showed Cr Sherlock and a companion leaving the lounge on two occasions.

In the footage, the pair can be seen leaving the town hall with a fully-stocked shopping bag after visiting the elected member's lounge.

The released documents also showed correspondence between council staff trying to get to the bottom of the dwindling stock.

Cr Sherlock referred herself to Tasmania's Integrity Commission over the matter this March, which chose not to investigate the case on the grounds it did not constitute misconduct.

Saga described as 'political assassination'

Cr Sherlock described the saga as a "political assassination attempt" and said she "will not cower".

She wrote to her fellow elected members on Wednesday night, following the release of the agenda for the upcoming council meeting.

In her email, she said the matter had already been addressed by multiple parties, including the council's chief executive, and described it as a "misunderstanding I have unreservedly apologised for".

She provided them with a copy of Cr Elliot's email and her lawyer's submission to the police commissioner regarding the alleged blackmail.