well known and a matter of public record." Ewington resigned as a candidate on 31 March 2021, citing "irreconcilable differences" in regards to his views on COVID-19. Mr Ewington claimed that he had been denied his right to free speech after reiterating his claims regarding pandemic mitigation. On 31 March 2021, it was announced that Labor would be reversing the policy they had run on at the previous election in regards to pokie machines. Labor had previously pledged in 2018 to confine pokie machines to casinos, but according to a new agreement between the Labor Party and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association — which is an industry group for restaurants, pubs and clubs — Labor will support the rights of pubs and clubs to operate poker machines. At the previous election, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association donated $160,000 to the Liberal Party during the election cycle, and funded a campaign called "Love Your Local", which claimed that jobs would be lost if the Liberals were not re-elected. This decision was criticised by other politicians. Federal MP for Clark Andrew Wilkie called the decision a "spineless betrayal of the community", and Greens party leader Cassy O'Connor claimed that Rebecca White, Labor's party leader, should "be ashamed of herself". Dissent also came within the party, with Labor candidate for Franklin Fabiano Cangelosi saying that the policy was repugnant and "devised in full knowledge of the tremendous harm that will be done". The current pokie ownership model, which gives the Sydney-based Federal Group a monopoly over poker machines in Tasmania, is set to expire in 2023. The Liberal Party has pledged to give pokie licenses to individual pubs and clubs, with the Federal Group retaining ownership in the 12 Hobart casinos and hotels they own. However, the party has not revealed the tax rate that casinos — most of which are owned by the Federal Group — are to pay for the changes. At the previous election, the Liberals promised to make the tax rate for casinos lower than the proposed 40% for pubs and clubs (the tax rate is currently 25%) but has not yet specified the exact rate. Peter Gutwein has claimed that Federal Group would lose out in the government's changes, while Peter Hoult, who is the former head of the state Liquor and Gaming Commission, told The Guardian that "there’s just no way Treasury officials have not been working on and