1. Peter Carl Gutwein was born on 21 December 1964 and is a former Australian politician who was the 46th premier of Tasmania from 2020 to 2022.
23 Facts About Peter Gutwein
1. 2.
Peter Gutwein was a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2002 to 2022, representing the electorate of Bass.
3.
Peter Gutwein succeeded Will Hodgman as leader of the Liberal Party and Tasmanian Premier on 20 January 2020.
4.
Peter Gutwein's father worked as a baker, stacking animal skins and selling firewood to earn extra money.
5.
Peter Gutwein became an Australian citizen at the age of 16.
6.
Peter Gutwein was educated at Myrtle Park Primary School and Queechy High School in Launceston, and Deakin University in Melbourne.
7.
Peter Gutwein played senior Australian rules football for the East Launceston Football Club as a midfielder.
8.
Peter Gutwein played a single season for the Swan Districts Football Club, for a single league game, in the West Australian Football League in 1986, while studying at the Western Australian Institute of Technology.
9.
Peter Gutwein began his career in politics in 1995, when he was introduced to the former federal MP for Bass, Warwick Smith, who convinced him to join the Liberal Party and manage Smith's successful re-election campaign at the 1996 federal election.
10.
In July 2002, Peter Gutwein was elected as a member for Bass at the state election.
11.
In December 2003, Peter Gutwein became the first Tasmanian MP in five years to cross the floor when he voted for a bill proposed by the Tasmanian Greens to establish a commission of inquiry into child abuse, which saw Hidding strip him of his shadow portfolios.
12.
When Will Hodgman led the Liberals to government at the 2014 state election, Peter Gutwein was appointed as Treasurer of Tasmania, as well as Minister for Planning and Local Government.
13.
Peter Gutwein was sworn in as the 46th Premier of Tasmania later that afternoon.
14.
In December 2020, Peter Gutwein announced that he would vote in favour of legalising euthanasia in Tasmania, although he had previously voted against similar legislation on three occasions.
15.
Peter Gutwein stated that "I believe in freedom of choice and that's why I support this bill", citing the deaths of his father and sister to aggressive forms of cancer.
16.
In March 2021, Peter Gutwein informed Speaker Sue Hickey that she would not be re-endorsed as a Liberal candidate.
17.
Peter Gutwein subsequently resigned from the party, leaving the Liberals in a minority government.
18.
Three days later, Peter Gutwein called an early election for May 2021.
19.
Peter Gutwein led the Liberals to a third straight majority in the House of Assembly, the first time in the party's history.
20.
On 4 April 2022, Peter Gutwein announced his resignation as premier and as a member of Tasmania's parliament.
21.
Peter Gutwein is a qualified black belt and assistant to the instructor in the martial art of taekwondo.
22.
Peter Gutwein has a pair of pet goats, named Alan and Teddy.
23.
In 2024, Peter Gutwein completed a walk across Tasmania to raise funds for Tasmania's migrant community following a string of racially motivated attacks.