The resignation of a senior government minister from Premier Peter Gutwein's cabinet has reopened up debate on whether the House of Assembly should be restored to 35 members.
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Education Minister Sarah Courtney on Thursday morning announced her resignation from cabinet and from Tasmanian Parliament effective immediately.
She is the second member of the government to resign since the state election last May after Braddon member Adam Brooks who resigned on the day polls were declared.
Ms Courtney held portfolios in tourism, hospitality and events, education, skills, training and workforce growth, disability services, and children and youth.
She said a minister had to accept the fact they would be required to take on a large workload.
"I'm not afraid of hard work, I never have been," Ms Courtney said.
She said she believed each of her portfolios could be handled by other elected Liberal members.
"I look to my colleagues and all my colleagues have huge capability capacity," Ms Courtney said
"I leave with confidence all of the portfolios will be in safe hands."
Tasmanian Parliament voted to reduce numbers in the House of Assembly from 35 to 25 seats in 1998.
Mr Gutwein, who was elected in 2002, said he had only ever known a 25-seat lower house as a parliamentarian. "And in terms of being a minister, all I've ever known is that when you take on that role, you are expected to work very hard and very diligently," he said.
Mr Gutwein said a restoration of the lower house could be considered once the state finances were in a position to allow for that consideration.
"At this point in time, as far as I'm concerned, we simply get on with the job that's in front of us and we do the very best that we can for the people Tasmania."
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said Mr Gutwein had a difficult decision to make to find a backbencher talented enough to carry a heavy portfolio load.
"He's going to be very restricted in his choices for ministers going forward so we would ask him to have another look at our legislation to restore the numbers," she said.
Labor leader Rebecca White said she understood the public interest around increasing the size of parliament, but it was not a priority for the party.
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