David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to mark my respect on the passing of one of Tasmania's greatest modern-era politicians, certainly one of the highest profile and best known to come out of Tasmania: past federal minister the Hon. Michael Hodgman AM QC.

I have been involved with the Liberal Party, both through family and personally, since I was a small child, going back to the early 1970s. Michael's presence and gravitas loomed large in the party throughout that time. As a party office holder and as chief-of-staff to the then opposition leader, I worked closely with him when he was in state parliament. I was the beneficiary of his advice on many occasions, both before entering the Senate and since, and will genuinely miss the occasional whispered suggestion or the quiet phone call or the well-argued public exhortation to action.

Michael was undoubtedly one of the greatest Australian political orators in the past half-century. He was a brilliant people-person and someone who always had time for everyone. When they made Michael Hodgman they broke the mould. There is much that can be said of Michael: his time in public office; his passion for Tasmania, Hobart, regional Australia and the law; his antics, stunts and legendary rhetoric; and his loyalty to our sovereign, Her Majesty, the Queen of Australia. Michael spent 44 years in the service of his fellow Tasmanians and of Australians, 35 of those years in parliamentary service. Michael was, at the time of his retirement, the longest-serving member of any Australian parliament. He was first elected in 1956 as an independent member of Tasmania's upper house, the Legislative Council, for the seat of Huon. He was re-elected, unopposed, in 1972.

Michael resigned in 1974 and was elected Liberal federal member for Denison in 1975, at a time when the Liberal Party achieved a clean sweep of all five Tasmanian federal electorates. He was then re-elected in 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1984 before being defeated in 1987 following an unfavourable redistribution of electoral boundaries. During this time he served as a minister in the Fraser coalition government. After one further unsuccessful shot at the federal seat of Denison in 1990, Michael decided to run for state parliament and in 1992 he was elected as the member for the state seat of Denison in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, a position that he successfully defended in the 1996 state election. He was subsequently a victim of the decrease in the size of the state parliament in 1998 but came back in again on a count-back in 2001 following the retirement of former state premier Ray Groom. He was then re-elected in 2002 and again in 2006.

Michael's impact has extended far beyond the boundaries of my great home state, however. Indeed, there are very few political observers across Australia who are not aware of Michael's work, his oratory and his passion for Australia and for its sovereign. Michael Hodgman was a politician of the old school and his time in politics saw him part of a momentous period in Australian history. He has known many of our nation and, for that matter, the world's leaders. Most famously, his oratorical skills combined with his strong parochial views earned him the title we have already heard this afternoon: 'the mouth from the south'. He had an incredible memory—an amazing ability to recall people's names, their backgrounds and issues that they might have brought up with him years earlier.

Whether it was his passion for the horses, his beloved football club, Geelong, the Navy, boxing or tennis, Michael always led an active and engaging life. He was a champion of many causes. He was resolute about the Indonesian presence in East Timor, to the detriment of his own career advancement in the Fraser government during the late 1970s. He was one of the first politicians to speak out vehemently against apartheid, when many others were conveniently looking the other way. He fought for the Huon naval base in Hobart, the retention of the historic Anglesea—

Senator Colbeck interjecting—

He certainly did, Senator Colbeck. Unfortunately, in the end it was a rearguard action. He fought for the retention of the historic Anglesea Barracks, the establishment of the Antarctic Division headquarters in Kingston, south of Hobart, and the CSIRO moving to Hobart. At many consecutive Liberal Party state councils, he successfully moved the motion 'that Tasmania should secede'. But he was also proud to be the Minister for the Capital Territory and, in that role, to be involved in the construction of this building and work closely with the chairman of the Parliament House Construction Authority, Sir John Holland.

Michael and his Canberra flatmate, Bruce Goodluck, who held the neighbouring seat of Franklin, were known at the time as 'the odd couple' and were well known nationally for their antics in seeking publicity—and sometimes those antics involved taking the micky out of each other. We heard earlier from Senator Abetz about one of those little tricks that was played by Michael on Bruce on a plane, but the reverse also occurred. Bruce Goodluck told a story where he bought some pink paper, sprinkled it with Chanel No. 5 and wrote on it: 'Dear Mr Hodgman, I have had my eyes on you since you first came to parliament. If you are interested, wear a red carnation. I usually frequent the press boxes.' Of course, the next day Michael was seen frequenting the press gallery boxes and wearing a red carnation.

But, behind the antics, Michael was a very serious and capable political advocate. Governments ignoring the outlying states and the regional seats did so at their peril. Michael was a ferocious fighter for what he believed in, such as tackling the Hawke socialist government, states' rights, East Timorese freedom and immigration. He was known for his pressure on local issues such as speeding up the development of Hobart's southern outlet and lobbying for Hobart's second bridge, as well as international issues, including railing against the Soviet Union.

But, above all, he was best known for fighting for his beloved battlers. Many of Canberra's older residents would remember Michael's reign as Minister for the Capital Territory. At the time he was also known as 'the minister for opening doors', because if there was an opening occurring he would be there. In fact, press coverage at the time sometimes speculated whether Michael actually spent any time away from Canberra. When Michael was Minister for the Capital Territory, his departmental officials found him excellent at raising the profile of Canberra and of promoting the national capital, but sometimes the routine paperwork was neglected. After the ministerial in-tray had grown to the dimensions of a small mountain, one senior public servant, a Mr Dempster, suggested ever-so-mildly to the minister that he might want to deal with some of the submissions. Michael got on very well with Mr Dempster, so much so that he had given him a nickname, and he responded to the suggestion with, 'Look, Hamster, you worry about the paperwork and I'll worry about the politics.' I can clearly remember the notoriety Michael received from his comments that caused the leadership spill, which saw Andrew Peacock take the Liberal leadership from the then leader, John Howard. I am pretty sure that Mr Howard never quite forgave Michael for that.

There were also Michael's own leadership ambitions. At one point, he was widely reported as a potential leader of the Liberal Party and in one ballot finished only 12 votes behind John Howard for deputy leader. Michael was also touted as a potential leader in the Tasmanian parliament, but, despite putting his name forward, this was not to be. He was, however, a shadow state minister and, as we have heard today, he used to refer to his title with great flourish. I believe I still have one of his legendary business cards in which he, quite correctly, describes himself as 'the Hon. Michael Hodgman QC, Her Majesty's loyal shadow Attorney-General for Tasmania'. I imagine it might become a collector's item one day.

There is no doubt that Michael led a colourful career and life. That description is one I repeatedly found when first researching the topic. Even though he was colourful, he was deeply compassionate, seeking to deliver real outcomes from his constituents, for whom he held genuine affection and respect. Michael served Tasmanians and Australians with absolute dedication, often to the detriment of his life and time with the family that he loved deeply. I pass on my sincere condolences to Michael's family, particularly his children, Angela, Tori and Will, and their children. They are all very much entitled to be immensely proud of Michael, his achievements and his contribution to his state and his country. He was truly one of the greats.