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Tasmania's Liberal premier says he stands by his deputy whose ministerial conduct before an alleged pedophile police officer was granted a lavish funeral has been questioned.
Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds was under investigation for allegations of child sexual abuse when he died by suicide in September 2018.
He was granted a police funeral on September 19, 2018.
Tasmania's police commissioner has previously apologised for the decision and in October announced an independent review into how the force handled allegations against Snr Sgt Reynolds.
![Paul Reynolds](https://syndicates.s3.amazonaws.com/aap/assets/20240318150344/8d58cc9a-25fc-4a11-8674-0db89a336ce6.jpg)
An interim review report released in January found he groomed and sexually abused teenage boys between 1988 and 2018.
Right to information documents obtained by the Greens show a briefing note from then-police commissioner Darren Hine dated September 17, 2018 was given to the office of then-police minister and current Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson.
It was signed by Mr Ferguson on October 8, 2018.
The note said a search had been conducted of Snr Sgt Reynolds' house after concerns about his relationship with boys and potential sharing of intimate photos.
Mr Ferguson said the note was received by his office on September 18, 2018 but he couldn't say exactly when he read it.
He said his usual practice was to sign notes immediately after reading.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who is aiming to lead the Liberals to a fourth term in office at Saturday's state election, defended Mr Ferguson.
"I support the treasurer (Mr Ferguson)," Mr Rockliff told reporters on Monday.
"What the briefing note said ... was that there was an internal professional standards investigation under way, a coronial inquest under way.
"To say there was no action is completely untrue."
Mr Rockliff, who described the funeral as appallingly wrong, accused the Greens of "rank hypocrisy" over the timing of the note receiving media coverage.
"My focus has always been not the politics but the .... support, safety and protection of children," he said.
It is understood the Greens provided the briefing note to media before Mr Ferguson's appearance on a radio program.
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff denied the party had weaponised the issue.
"This is a very serious matter ... when we received the right to information, we provided that well before the election period," she said.
![Labor Leader Rebecca White](https://syndicates.s3.amazonaws.com/aap/assets/20240318150344/58a9a948-b770-48f3-9668-d14e4272bb2b.jpg)
Labor leader Rebecca White, who was campaigning about boosting social housing availability, said it was not a political issue.
"Our government had information about a police officer, days before the funeral, knowing he had been accused of being a pedophile," she said.
"They allowed state funds to be used on that funeral. This is a matter of integrity, or in this case a lack of integrity."
The government is implementing 191 recommendations from a commission of inquiry into child sexual abuse.
The commission said Tasmania Police should have asked for formal statements from an officer who overheard a conversation in 2008 between two inspectors about Snr Sgt Reynolds being a "pedophile".
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