The Tasmanian Government’s refreshed Cabinet has been announced by Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, following the resignation of Madeleine Ogilvie.
The Government has opted not to replace Ms Ogilvie in cabinet, instead redistributing her portfolios among existing ministers.
The move reduces the Cabinet size from 11 to 10 and is expected to save more than $1 million a year, the Premier said.
Ms Ogilvie resigned last week over allegations she had misled the Parliament over whether she was involved in any Supreme Court actions.
Under the cabinet reshuffle, Deputy Premier, Guy Barnett takes on the Environment and Climate Change portfolio, while ​Minister for Parks, Nick Duigan, will add Heritage to his portfolio.
​Jane Howlett will become Minister for Arts and Minister for Community and Multicultural Affairs. Minister Howlett will lead the Tourism, Events and Creative entity and has expressed her passion for our community and multicultural sectors.
Felix Ellis has been appointed Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy, complementing his existing portfolios that support skills, jobs and the artificial intelligence revolution.
Marcus Vermey will become Parliamentary Secretary of Small Business and Community and Multicultural Affairs.
The reduction of a Minister, along with staffing and overhead changes, will result in savings of over $1 million, the Premier said.
The Premier (pictured) thanked each Minister for taking on the additional responsibilities.
“We are getting on with the job of delivering for Tasmanians, including redeveloping hospitals, upgrading schools, improving road infrastructure and investing in the services our community needs,” he said.
“The world and our nation are facing turbulent times, which is why we are focussed on keeping our economy strong and supporting a caring community.”
