'A pile of crap': Premier's mea culpa over Ogilvie scandal

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has described his handling of allegations against former minister Madeleine Ogilvie as a "pile of crap" he must clean up, admitting he "dropped the ball." The Premier stated he began investigating whether Liberal MP Ogilvie had misled parliament in May, six months after she initially told a committee she was not involved in any Supreme Court action.

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dropped the ball

Rockliff's decision to examine the issue was prompted by Ogilvie's response to a question from the Greens in parliament on budget day last month. Madeleine Ogilvie had resigned her portfolios and moved to the backbench following accusations that she misled parliament regarding her involvement in Supreme Court proceedings. She had previously told a budget estimates committee in November that she was not subject to any legal proceedings, when in fact she was.

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pile of crap

Opposition parties and independents have pressured Rockliff to disclose what he knew and when. At a press conference, he revealed he was aware of Ogilvie's November answer but had been advised there had been a clarification. This clarification, provided in writing to a different committee, stated she was not subject to legal proceedings initiated by another party, but also reserved her right to take any necessary action to protect her legal rights.

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in hindsight I should have well and truly interrogated that answer further. I didn't. I regret that, and I apologise for that quite clearly.

Rockliff conceded that in "hindsight" he should have "well and truly interrogated that answer further." He apologized for this oversight, likening the situation to juggling many responsibilities and "dropping a few along the way." The Premier's comments came after Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff questioned Ogilvie again about her legal fees in parliament, to which Ogilvie responded by suggesting a letter for specific details, stating that legal fees had been transparently tabled and processes followed.

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I've got a lot of balls in the air, and unfortunately, you drop a few along the way, and this was one.