Michael Ferguson | |
---|---|
21st Deputy Premier of Tasmania | |
In office 8 April 2022 –14 October 2024 | |
Premier | Jeremy Rockliff |
Preceded by | Jeremy Rockliff |
Succeeded by | Guy Barnett |
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Bass | |
Assumed office 20 March 2010 | |
Preceded by | Sue Napier |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bass | |
In office 9 October 2004 –24 November 2007 | |
Preceded by | Michelle O'Byrne |
Succeeded by | Jodie Campbell |
Personal details | |
Born | Burnie,Tasmania | 23 March 1974
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse | Julie |
Children | Eloise,Thomas,James |
Alma mater | University of Tasmania |
Occupation | Politician Teacher |
Website | http://michaelferguson.com/ |
Michael Darrel Joseph Ferguson (born 23 March 1974) is an Australian politician who served as the Deputy Premier of Tasmania from April 2022 to October 2024. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the Division of Bass since the 2010 state election. Ferguson was appointed to cabinet after his party's victory in the 2014 state election and has served continuously as Minister in a range of portfolios including Finance,Health,Infrastructure,Transport,State Growth and Science and Technology.
Ferguson previously served in federal parliament as a Liberal Party of Australia member in the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2007,representing the federal electorate of Bass. [1] He was defeated at the 2007 federal election.
He was educated at the University of Tasmania,holding degrees in Applied Science and Education. [2] In the past,his broad community activities include many local tourism and progress associations as well as community radio.[ citation needed ] He has worked as a teacher from 1996 to 2002,and a member of the Meander Valley Council. He has received awards including winning the Regional Initiative category for the Young Australian of the Year Awards for Tasmania in 2002,and Tasmanian Young Achiever of the Year (2002) by the National Australia Day Council.[ citation needed ]
Before entering politics,he was a teacher in public secondary schools in Northern Tasmania and adviser to Guy Barnett,Liberal Senator for Tasmania.[ citation needed ]
In his parliamentary term in the Commonwealth Parliament Ferguson concentrated on issues such as education,health,family and employment and served on numerous parliamentary and backbench committees. He was the secretary of the Government Education,Science and Training policy committee and is acknowledged as having played a key role in brokering the passage of the Voluntary Student Unionism legislation through the Senate with his (implemented) proposal for a sports infrastructure transition fund.[ citation needed ]
Soon after the 2007 election when he failed to be elected,Ferguson was appointed as the CEO of the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust.[ citation needed ]
He was subsequently elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 2010 state election, [2] securing the highest number of primary votes in Bass (1.5 quotas) and the second highest vote in the state. In April 2010 Ferguson was appointed as Shadow Minister for Education and Skills;and Shadow Minister for Innovation,Science and Technology.[ citation needed ]
Ferguson was re-elected at the 2014 state election,at which the Liberals gained government,and was appointed Minister for Health and Minister for Information Technology and Innovation. [3]
As Health Minister,Ferguson led a somewhat contentious reform of the Tasmanian health system by merging the previously three health services into one and changing the services delivered at each of the four hospitals in the state. [4] [5] He has also taken charge of the redevelopment of the Royal Hobart Hospital to ensure that the much-promised building eventuates. [6] [7]
His tenure has not been without incident with his appointment of an interim CEO of the merged health service having a side interest in alternative therapies [8] and a series of electrical and computer failures at the ambulance service. [9] He was removed as Health Minister in 2019 after an increasing number of complaints and mistakes in his portfolio including widespread complaints from medical practiioners [10] [11] and a damning report from the Tasmanian Auditor-General. [12]
In January 2020,Premier Will Hodgman resigned and Ferguson was a candidate to succeed him as Premier and Liberal leader but ultimately withdrew from the leadership contest. Treasurer Peter Gutwein was instead elected unopposed as Hodgman's successor. There was speculation that Ferguson would succeed Gutwein as Treasurer [13] but in the end Premier Gutwein chose to retain the Treasury portfolio.
On 8 April 2022,after Gutwein resigned as Premier,deputy party leader Jeremy Rockliff became party leader,and Ferguson was elected as deputy party premier to replace Rockliff. Ferguson was sworn in as Deputy Premier of Tasmania that afternoon. [2] [14] [15] Ferguson was also sworn in as Minister for Infrastructure and Treasurer however significant problems with the construction of new 'Spirit of Tasmania' ferries,including production delays and cost blow-outs and ongoing arguments with the ferry management Board and the port authority,and bungled re-design of the port to accommodate the new ferries and subsequent claims of misleading Parliament resulted in his resignation as Minister for Infrastructure. [16] [17] He continued to hold the position of Deputy Premier and State Treasurer. [18] Anticipating a successful no confidence motion in the Tasmanian Parliament the following day,Ferguson resigned from the Cabinet on the 14th of October 2024,but will remain a backbencher. [19]
Ferguson has been described as a "conservative" Liberal,and is opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion. [20] In 2018,he criticised the Tasmanian Greens and the Labor Party for their reforms to make birth certificates gender-optional,citing it as a social experiment on children that Tasmanian parents would be "disgusted" by. [21]
Ferguson opposed the 2023 Voice to Parliament. [22]
Guy Barnett is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and was appointed deputy premier of Tasmania in 2024. He has been a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly since 2014 and has been a state government minister since 2016. He was previously a Senator for Tasmania from 2002 to 2011.
William Edward Felix Hodgman is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the premier of Tasmania from 2014 to 2020 and state leader of the Liberal Party from 2006 to 2020. He later served as High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore from 2021 to 2023.
David John Bartlett is an Australian former politician in the state of Tasmania,serving as the 43rd Premier of Tasmania from May 2008 until January 2011. He was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison from 2004 to 2011 when he retired.
Jeremy Page Rockliff is an Australian politician. He has served as premier of Tasmania since 2022,as state leader of the Liberal Party. He previously served as deputy premier from 2014 to 2022.
Peter Carl Gutwein is a former Australian politician who was the 46th premier of Tasmania from 2020 to 2022. He was a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2002 to 2022,representing the electorate of Bass. He succeeded Will Hodgman as leader of the Liberal Party and Tasmanian Premier on 20 January 2020.
David O'Byrne is an Australian trade unionist and politician. A prominent union leader prior to entering politics and the brother of fellow politician Michelle O'Byrne,he has been an Independent member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly since 2024,after previously serving as a Labor Party member from 2018 to 2024,and from 2010 to 2014,representing the electorate of Franklin.
Adam Richard Brooks is a former Liberal Party member for Braddon in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2010 to 2019. He was an endorsed Liberal Party candidate for the 2021 state election in the division of Braddon,and was re-elected on 1 May,but resigned two weeks after the election following charges being laid against him by Queensland Police for alleged firearms and document offences.
Jacqueline Anne Petrusma is an Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2010 to 2022,representing the electorate of Franklin,and served as a minister in the governments of Will Hodgman,Peter Gutwein and Jeremy Rockliff.
Sarah Jane Courtney is an Australian financial analyst,viticulturist and a former politician. She was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the Liberal Party in the Division of Bass at the 2014 state election. As a Senior Minister in the Second Hodgman Ministry,First Gutwein Ministry,and Second Gutwein Ministry,Courtney was responsible for the policy development,service delivery and overall governance of a significant part of the public sector,including accountability for the multibillion-dollar health and education budgets.
Madeleine Ruth Ogilvie is an Australian lawyer and politician. She is a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the Division of Clark and is a minister in the Second Rockliff ministry
The First Hodgman Ministry was the Cabinet of Tasmania from 31 March 2014 to 21 March 2018. It was created after the defeat of the Giddings Ministry at the 2014 Tasmanian state election,and was replaced by the Second Hodgman Ministry after the 2018 Tasmanian state election.
The Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) is a political party in Australia,formed in May 2015,bearing the name of its founder,Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie.
The Tasmanian Liberal Party,officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) and more simply as the Tasmanian Liberals,is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Tasmania. The party currently governs in Tasmania as the only Liberal government in Australia above the local level. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party of Australia,currently in opposition.
The 2021 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 May 2021 to elect all 25 members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Jane Colleen Howlett is an Australian politician,who was a Liberal member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council for the division of Prosser and is now member for the Division of Lyons.
The 2024 Tasmanian state election was held on 23 March 2024 to elect all 35 members to the House of Assembly.
Dean Winter is a Tasmanian Labor politician currently serving as Tasmanian Opposition Leader and Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party. He was elected as Mayor of Kingborough Council in 2018,and was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 2021 Tasmanian state election,as an MP for Franklin.
The Second Gutwein Ministry is a former ministry of the Government of Tasmania,led by Peter Gutwein of the Tasmanian Liberals. It was formed on 19 May 2021,after the Liberal Party won the 2021 Tasmanian state election. The ministry dissolved on 8 April 2022,after Gutwein resigned from his premiership and quit politics,and was succeeded by the Rockliff ministry.
The First Rockliff ministry is the former ministry of the Tasmanian Government,led by Jeremy Rockliff of the Tasmanian Liberals. It was formed on 8 April 2022,after Rockliff was elected unopposed as leader of the Liberal Party and sworn as the state's 47th Premier by Governor Barbara Baker. The ministry replaced the Second Gutwein ministry,after former Premier Peter Gutwein resigned from his position and quit politics.
Following the results of the 2024 Tasmanian state election,which resulted in a hung parliament with the Liberal Party winning the most seats,the incumbent Liberal government,led by Premier Jeremy Rockliff,will negotiate with independents and the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) to seek confidence and supply to form a minority government for the party's fourth consecutive term in office.