Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff announces his new cabinet

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has appointed a new cabinet just one day after being re-commissioned by Governor Barbara Baker. He says his new team will be focused on stability and collaboration as he hopes to survive a no-confidence motion that will be moved when parliament resumes.

Transcript

00:00Hi Joe, it was a big day for some former federal MPs. The big name is Bridget Archer, the former

00:08federal member for BASS. She's the state's new health minister. She replaces Jackie Petrusma,

00:13who stepped down after suffering a serious hamstring injury. The other name into the cabinet

00:18is Gavin Pearce, the former federal member for Braddon. He will serve as the minister for primary

00:25industries and water, and also for veterans affairs. The other name out of cabinet is Roger

00:30Yench, the former children and youth minister here in Tasmania. He'd been a minister for eight years,

00:35so he's a big demotion. The other big winner out of this is former federal minister Erica Betts.

00:42He's Tasmania's new treasurer. He replaces Deputy Premier Guy Barnett, who's been moved out of the

00:48portfolio after a state budget that prompted a lot of backlash and led to an early election.

00:54Now, the other big change is the Premier himself. He's stepping back from his responsibilities

00:59to focus on the crossbench. Here's what he had to say about his new role.

01:04To ensure that I can work closely with the crossbench and all members of parliament,

01:14I will not hold any portfolios. I will dedicate my time as Premier to be absolutely right across

01:24the portfolio responsibilities of all ministers, as you would expect me to do.

01:31And how long is this cabinet expected to last? That's the big question, Joe. Jeremy Rockliffe's

01:38been recommissioned as Premier. He's announced his cabinet, but he faces a big showdown when State

01:43Parliament resumes on August 19th, and that no-confidence motion is debated. Labor wants to form a minority

01:50government of its own. It needs the support of the Greens and at least three crossbenchers to do

01:55that. He met with the five independent MPs this afternoon in a bid to win them over. It still says

02:01it won't do a deal with the Greens, which is getting a fair bit of blowback from the independents. But

02:06Labor leader, Dean Winter, is hopeful that that no-confidence motion can succeed and he can

02:12become Premier. We don't really know whether it will be a Labor Premier or Jeremy Rockliffe's new

02:17cabinet that will actually get to get things done in the future. I think all eyes will be on Tasmania

02:23on August 19. I know local radio's putting on some popcorn on parliament lawns, and I reckon if

02:28you're free, Joe, it's worth the flight down to Hobart to watch.

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