Roger Jaensch divested his shares on the day the ABC contacted his office.The Tasmanian government's cabinet reshuffle has led to a potential conflict of interest for the state's new finance minister, who, until recently, held shares in the hospitality, liquor and gaming industry, which he is now in charge of regulating.
Roger Jaensch was announced as Tasmania's new finance minister on October 20, taking over from Liberal MP Nic Street.Roger Jaensch was sworn is as the minister for finance in the recent cabinet reshuffle.Until recently, he held just over $2,000 in shares in Endeavour Group, which describes itself as "Australia's most responsible operator of hotels, alcohol and gaming facilities".
"The minister is in the process of divesting the Endeavour Group shares, removing any conflict of interest, and will update the register of interests accordingly," she said.Photo shows colours and numbers light up a gaming machine Mr Jaensch's new cabinet position means he takes over responsibility for an ambitious plan to introduce nation-leading mandatory cashless gaming cards with spending caps for poker machines, a proposal that was being pushed by former treasurer Michael Ferguson.
Mr Rockliff has repeatedly claimed the government is still committed to the cashless card and to implementing other harm minimisation methods announced during the state election campaign. She believed Mr Jaensch would not be genuine in attempting to reduce the harm caused by poker machines due to the "strong affiliation with the industry", and claimed he should not have been made finance minister.