Premier Jeremy Rockliff has ruled out retiring before the end of the year, amid speculation in political circles that he could be planning to step down.
Asked at a media conference about the Macquarie Point stadium whether he could rule out retiring before the end of the year, Rockliff said: “Yes, I can.”
“There’s been rumblings about my retirement for 20 years, can I say. So, you know, I’m not going anywhere.”
Treasurer Eric Abetz, who stood alongside the premier, quipped: “And you’ve got brand new boots.”
“Well, they’re starting to wear in. I got these in February, I think,” Rockliff replied.
Asked whether he could also rule out retiring before the end of his term, Rockliff did not directly address whether he would remain premier.
Instead, he pointed to his role as the member for Braddon and Abetz’s as the member for Franklin.
“Our base job is being a local member of the parliament,” he said. “We commit the full term.”
Abetz’s appearance came after Labor accused the government of keeping the senior minister out of public view for more than a month.
Labor MP and opposition business leader Ella Haddad questioned whether Abetz had “made his peace with the premier hand-picking Bridget Archer as his successor” for premier.
In July, Rockliff chose Health Minister Bridget Archer to act as premier while he and his deputy, Guy Barnett, were away.
Abetz dismissed suggestions he had been hiding.
“It’s wonderful to know that I’m allowed to live rent-free in Ella Haddad’s mind and that she’s issuing press releases wanting to see more of me,” he said.
“So I’ve decided I’ll send her a picture and she’ll be able to have that as a screensaver.”
He said he had been “busy out and about” as treasurer, adding that “a lot of hard work” goes on behind the scenes without cameras present.
