Tasmanian Cabinet Reshuffle After Two Ministers Resign
En resumen
- Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced a cabinet reshuffle following the resignations of racing minister Jane Howlett and Madeleine Ogilvie.
- Roger Jaensch takes on new portfolios, including Tourism and Racing, while Jo Palmer adds Minister for Women to her responsibilities.
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Por qué importa
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has reshuffled his cabinet following the resignations of two ministers. Jane Howlett resigned over legal fees, and Madeleine Ogilvie resigned amid accusations of misleading parliament.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has announced a reshuffle of his cabinet, following the resignation of former racing minister Jane Howlett from the frontbench on Tuesday.
Roger Jaensch will take on the portfolios for Tourism, Hospitality and Events; Minister for Racing; Minister for Community and Multicultural Affairs; and Minister for the Arts.
Current Minister for Education, Children and Youth, and Disability Services, Jo Palmer, has also been appointed Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence.
Ms Palmer and Mr Jaensch were sworn in on Wednesday morning.
Mr Jaensch has returned to cabinet after less than a year on the backbench.
A member of parliament for over a decade, he previously held several ministerial portfolios including Children and Youth, Finance, and Aboriginal Affairs.
Mr Jaensch said he was "grateful" to serve again in cabinet.
Outgoing ministers 'paid a very high price'
In less than three weeks, the Tasmanian government has seen two ministers relinquish their portfolios and move to the backbench.
Madeleine Ogilvie resigned as a minister in late May, amid accusations she misled parliament, after revealing her involvement in a Supreme Court matter, months after saying she was not connected to any legal action.
Ms Howlett resigned less than an hour before parliament was due to sit on Tuesday, following mounting pressure to move to the backbench over $405,000 in taxpayer money being used to pay her legal fees.
Ms Howlett has also faced questions over conflicting evidence about what her office knew about a breach of caretaker conventions during the last election.
Asked if he would admit that the former ministers had misled parliament or broken the ministerial code of conduct, Mr Rockliff said they had already "paid a very high price".
"They're on the backbench. They don't have ministries anymore. That accountability has been well demonstrated," he said.
Mr Rockliff also used the press conference to decry what he labelled "personal attacks" against the former ministers in the preceding weeks, taking particular issue with Labor MP Dean Winter's "appalling" attacks against Ms Howlett.
"Is this the kind of parliament that our crossbench actually want when there is a focus so deeply personal?"
Preguntas abiertas
- Will the new appointments stabilize the government?
- What are the long-term implications of these resignations?
