The Tasmanian government is scrambling to fill the gap left by Madeleine Ogilvie’s resignation from cabinet, as ministers prepare for budget estimates to start today.
Ogilvie stepped down from her ministerial role on Saturday, three days after admitting she had wrongly denied being a party to Supreme Court proceedings during.
Treasurer Eric Abetz will step in for Ogilvie at this week’s estimates, but who takes over her portfolios permanently is still up in the air.
Environment, women, arts, heritage and technology are among the portfolios now vacant.
On Sunday morning, government minister Nick Duigan said an announcement could come as soon as Sunday evening or Monday morning.
But on Sunday evening, a government spokesperson told Pulse the details of new ministerial arrangements would be revealed later in the week – after four days of estimates hearings.
Duigan wouldn’t be drawn on whether former minister Michael Ferguson, who has been sitting on the backbench, might return to cabinet.
“Certainly there’s plenty of capacity on the backbench of the government,” he said.
“There is someone ready to step into the role.”
Duigan said he’d be open to taking on extra duties himself, noting he’d previously held the environment portfolio.
“Always happy to serve,” he said.
Not everyone is convinced there’s enough talent to go around, with Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff yesterday saying there were “a withering few on the backbench who are capable of taking on ministerial duties.”
Ogilvie’s departure has drawn sharp reactions from both sides of politics.
Woodruff said Ogilvie had offered no real apology.
“She sort of suggested that she was like wanting to move somewhere and that she might like take a vacation on the backbench,” Woodruff said.
“It was a long way away from an apology.”
Labor leader Josh Willie said his party would now turn its focus to the premier.
“We’ll be pursuing the premier over what he knew, the standards he’s accepted,” Willie said.
“He knew that the minister was misleading Parliament and he did nothing about it.”
Ogilvie has not fronted cameras since her resignation, with her media team refusing multiple requests for interviews.
In her statement on Saturday night, Ogilvie said she apologised for “answering the original question poorly” but maintained she was bound by the court and had given as much information as she legally could.
Duigan said the decision clearly weighed heavily on Ogilvie.
“People don’t do it in an offhanded way,” he said.
“These are things you weigh deeply.”
