Housing Minister Roger Jaensch is refusing to step down as Labor and the Greens continue to pile pressure on him and call for his resignation.
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In an explosive day in State Parliament yesterday, Mr Jaensch faced the prospect of a no confidence motion after he denied being aware of "any changes proposed or undertaken" to make it easier for the government to evict tenants.
But Greens leader Cassy O'Connor subsequently produced a confidential Cabinet minute she'd obtained, showing that a decision to amend the Residential Tenancy Act had been made and then later revoked on August 24 of this year. The amendment would have allowed for evictions from properties without a genuine or just cause.
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Ms O'Connor moved to debate a motion of no confidence in the minister, but was foiled after independent Clark MHA Madeleine Ogilvie voted with the government to gag debate on the matter.
Mr Jaensch told the house that Cabinet decisions had no effect until they were presented to the parliament.
Today, the Greens leader said she would be referring the minister to the House of Assembly's Privileges Committee.
"We will certainly be following this up in parliament," she said. "It is unreasonable, unacceptable for a minister of the Crown to tell an untruth to Parliament and then not come in at the earliest opportunity to correct the record."
"I think that the pressure really is on [Premier Peter Gutwein] now to acknowledge that he has a minister who knowingly told an untruth to Parliament and then dug in.
"Minister Jaensch's position is untenable."
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Rebecca White has signalled that Labor may even refer the matter to the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, if Mr Gutwein - who described the motion of no confidence as a "stunt" - doesn't resolve it himself.
"How can we believe anything this minister says ever again if he's willing to get up and lie to the parliament when there is a decision in black and white that's a Cabinet minute, that proves there was a decision taken on this?" Ms White said.
"One of the fundamental tenets of our democracy is what is written in the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which clearly states that if a minister lies, they have to correct the record at the earliest opportunity.
"And in times when people are found not to be telling the truth like Roger Jaensch has been found not to be telling the truth, he has to correct the record. He should apologise, and if he can't do that he should resign."
The minister did not respond to The Examiner's requests for an interview. But he told Seven Tasmania that he wouldn't be resigning.
"Cassy asked a question without giving me very much context," he said. "I answered to the best of my ability."
Government frontbencher Guy Barnett was grilled on Mr Jaensch's position earlier in the day.
How can we believe anything this minister says ever again?
- Rebecca White, Opposition Leader
He said Mr Jaensch's government colleagues "back him to the hilt" and that the question of whether the minister should resign was "absurd".
"He's an outstanding minister," Mr Barnett said. "The House of Assembly made a decision on this yesterday. Clearly, it was a stunt by the Greens. And we have full confidence in Minister Roger Jaensch.
"We can't discuss what goes on in Cabinet. Cassy O'Connor knows that. She's a former Cabinet minister.
Governance expert Kate Crowley, an associate professor of public and environmental policy at the University of Tasmania, said it was difficult to countenance that Mr Jaensch wouldn't have been aware of the Cabinet decisions raised by the Greens.
"Tasmanian ministers have got so much going on that you could very easily imagine that something might slip their mind - but this is so contentious," she said.
"I can't imagine this slipping your mind because this is a really contentious proposal.
"In the first instance, you shouldn't mislead parliament in any way, shape or form, and if you're feeling uncertain about the answer, always just say, 'I'll take that on advice and get back to you'.
"Because it doesn't look good."
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