Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has announced his resignation, citing family reasons and the pressure of governing through the pandemic for his decision.

Mr Gutwein is Tasmania’s Premier and Treasurer as well as holding the tourism and climate change portfolios.

Peter Gutwein watches his son playing football with his wife Amanda.Credit:Sarah Rhodes

At a press conference, Mr Gutwein described the pressure that political life had placed upon his family as he explained the decision to resign.

“The longest I’ve spent in my house, here in Launceston, in the last couple of years was the seven days I had an isolation. That’s the longest period that I’ve been under that roof continuously, and I think that probably says it all,” he said from Launceston in his electorate at 4pm.

“I’d been thinking about this for a couple of weeks now.”

Mr Gutwein recounted his experience over the Christmas-New Year period as an example of the strain he felt.

Christmas completely drained me … I’ve got nothing left in the tank to give.

“On Boxing Day I went back to Hobart as a result of the border opening and the need to provide leadership. I left Hobart on New Year’s Eve and drove to Bridport. I spent four hours in Bridport, which was meant to be four days,” he said.

“That night, we had an increasing case count … the numbers came through, and I was walking on the beach with my wife, and I’ve got to get back in the car, and I’ve got to get back to Hobart and then spend most of January in Hobart managing the pandemic.

“My wife and kids have just been outstanding in their support. But that period through Christmas completely drained me … I’ve got nothing left in the tank to give.”

Mr Gutwein will remain as premier and the member for Bass, in the state’s north-east, until the Liberal Party elects its new leader later this week.

He said there would be a recount in the electorate of Bass to find his replacement in Parliament, which will be prorogued until after Easter.

Mr Gutwein led the Liberal Party to victory in the 2021 election having succeeded Will Hodgman as premier in 2020. The next Tasmanian election must be held before May 2025.

He has served in the Tasmanian Parliament since 2002.

“What I’ll be doing is doing some, some reading and some gardening and spending time with my family,” he said.

Mr Gutwein said his wife had set aside her own ambitions to raise their children largely in his absence, and it was now his turn to give some time back.

“To Tasmanians, thank you for your support. Together we took the small state through a pandemic, we created one of the safest places on the planet to live and, importantly, one of the best economies and strongest job markets in the country,” he said.

“Thank you for working with me.”

Mr Gutwein said he had made the decision to quit politics about two weeks ago and informed his cabinet and parliamentary colleagues earlier on Monday. He said he told Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the federal director of the Liberal Party, Andrew Hirst, about 3.40pm.

“I’ve got a cabinet that I’ve had a really strong relationship with, they’re good friends and colleagues, and I’ve worked with many of them for a long period of time,” he said.

“And so it’s obviously with some sadness that I leave, but I know that the foundations have been laid, the path that has been laid out is one that a new leader will be able to make their own.”

Tasmanian Opposition Leader Rebecca White said Mr Gutwein had governed through “some of the most difficult times as Tasmanians faced the scourge of COVID-19”, the ABC reported.

“I wish him and his family well for the future,” she said.

Last month Mr Gutwein revealed at a press conference that he was the victim of childhood sexual assault at the hands of a school teacher.

Mr Gutwein said at the time he had “great empathy” for survivors of sex abuse because he was sexually assaulted when he was 16.

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