Will Tasmanians ever know how the election cash splash is divvied up?
Ken Bacon from the Longford Golf Club used to be a Tasmanian MP, so he says he knows how the game works. The former Lyons Labor MP personally approached candidates from both major parties at rural event Agfest in 2018 to ask if they'd commit to funding solar panels for his club. The club received $100,000 after the Liberals were returned to government the same year. "It's just normal process," Mr Bacon told the ABC, referring to all sides of politics. "They want votes and sporting clubs want money." The state's Integrity Commission sought to figure out whether that was, or should be, the normal process by establishing Operation Hyperion  a two-year probe specifically examining funding commitments made during the 2018 campaign. Chief Commissioner Greg Melick said the inquiry could not be finished under the existing terms of reference. ( Jon Jarvela  It followed a Tasmania Police investigation into allegations of bribery or treating, which is where a material benefit like food, drink or donations are offered to influence a vote. That investigation found the Electoral Act had not been breached, but the Integrity Commission wondered if there was still potential for misconduct. Operation Hyperion was dropped this year, after some people who received the draft report raised concerns about its direction. No misconduct had been found "at that stage", according to chief commissioner Greg Melick. But only a handful of people have seen the full 149-page draft report. Former Labor leader Rebecca White  who received just 27 heavily-redacted pages deemed relevant to her  is adamant it was not her side of politics that wanted Operation Hyperion canned. "When they go out and promise a club $10,000, it's not money that the Liberal Party has, it's taxpayer money," Ms White said. "If there's no clear process for how they arrived at that decision, I think everybody loses." Mr Melick said the inquiry could not be finished under the existing terms of reference. Former Labor leader Rebecca White is adamant it was not her side of politics that wanted Operation Hyperion canned. ( ABC News: Daniel Yeomans  "Ultimately, the board decided that it would not be in the public interest to commit further resources to re-investigate the matter, noting that, to that stage, no misconduct had been identified," Mr Melick said in a statement. Questions remain about the allocation of what is ultimately Tasmanians' money during election campaigns. Footy club scores  The Longford Golf Club was one of more than 300 small community groups to receive a share in more than $20 million promised during the 2018 campaign. Loading  Another was the Bracknell Football Club, also in the state's north. As it turns out, Liberal Lyons MP Mark Shelton was referred to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission after pledging $30,000 to the club for a new scoreboard and $80,000 to the Bracknell Boys & Girls Club based in the adjacent hall. Mr Shelton is a former player, personal sponsor and life member of the Bracknell Football Club. Good local members are and should be involved in their communities  but the complainant questioned whether it was appropriate for Mr Shelton to also be involved in allocating the club taxpayer money. The club received another $45,000 for goal nets in the 2021 campaign. The ABC asked Mr Shelton about the process leading to the awarding of the money, and whether he was involved. Mr Shelton is a former player, personal sponsor and life member of the Bracknell Football Club. ( ABC News: Maren Preuss  "Tasmania Police found there was not a breach of any Electoral Laws, and the Integrity Commission found there was no evidence of misconduct before it discontinued the investigation," a government spokesman said. The allegation is not that Mr Shelton or the football club did anything wrong or breached any electoral laws. The enduring question is whether it is the case that whoever has a good relationship with an MP, their advisers or a major party generally is more likely to get a look-in when holding out the begging bowl  and whether those who don't, miss out. Labor state secretary Stuart Benson told the ABC his party's process for allocating funding commitments to community groups in 2018  candidates uploaded "very detailed written submissions" to a website portal after which a decision would be made by the campaign committee. At this point, the party is not willing to clearly, publicly answer.