Sad To See Peter Gutwein Go, Says Tasmania’s LGBT Community

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwei announced on Monday that he was resigning from politics, saying he had “nothing left in the tank to give.”

Gutwein, who took over as Premier in 2020 and led Tasmania as the state dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, was reelected last year on a progressive agenda. Despite just two years as Premier, Gutwein has cemented his legacy with his contributions “to a fairer and more inclusive Tasmania”, Rodney Croome from Equality Tasmania said in a statement. 

“We are sad to see Mr Gutwein resign because he has been an active supporter of inclusion and equality for LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians for many years,” said Croome. 

Supporting Tasmania’s LGBTQI Community

Gutwein told media persons at a press conference that he wanted to focus on his family. “I’ve focused on everyone else’s family, I now want to spend some time focusing on my own,” said the Premier, adding, “It is with some sadness that I leave, but I know the foundations that have been laid, the path has been laid out, that a new leader will be able to make their own, and importantly, make their own decisions moving forward.”

According to Equality Tasmania, as an MP and Cabinet minister, Gutwein had “voted for the legal recognition of same-gender couples and their families, for the principle of marriage equality, and for the expungement of criminal records from the time when being gay or trans was effectively criminal.”

“As Premier, he has overseen an increase in funding for LGBTIQ+ school inclusion programs and supported the largest ever survey of the state’s LGBTIQ+ community. He also opposed Claire Chandler’s Bill excluding transgender women from women’s sport and the override of Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act by the Morrison Government’s Religious Discrimination Bill,” said Croome. 

Senator Chandler’s proposed Bill seeks to exclude trans women from single-sex sports. PM Morrison, fresh from suffering a setback after failing to get his Religious Discrimination Bill passed in Parliament, had backed the Senator’s proposed anti-trans legislation.

Gutwein Worked For a Fair And Inclusive Tasmania

Croome said that Gutwein had “lent a sympathetic and compassionate ear to survivors of conversion practices as well as to survivors of non-consenting surgeries on infants and children with variations of sex characteristics.”

 Mr Gutwein’s name proudly sits alongside the names of all those Tasmanians from across politics and the community who have contributed to a fairer and more inclusive Tasmania,” added Croome.

Gutwein will stay on as Premier till the Liberal party elects his successor later this week.