Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight, I stand to pay a tribute to an outstanding member of parliament—one of the greatest orators of our time—and that is the Hon. Michael Hodgman QC, MP. Michael Hodgman has had an extraordinarily long parliamentary career. He was a member of the legislative council for the division of Huon in Tasmania from 1966 to 1974. He was a member of the House of Representatives for the federal division of Denison from 1975 to 1987, and a member of the House of Assembly for the state division of Denison from 1992 to 1998, and also since 2001.

Tonight is an opportunity for me to pay a tribute on behalf of many Tasmanians and certainly for me to speak for—and with the support of—the Tasmanian Liberal Senate team, and to note the tremendous tribute dinner to the Hon. Michael Hodgman QC, MP held last Friday in Hobart.

Michael Hodgman QC, MP was first elected on 14 May 1966 for the electorate of Huon as a legislative councillor. As an independent, he was re-elected unopposed in 1972. He resigned as a member for Huon in 1974 to contest the federal election of Denison. On 13 December 1975, he was elected as the Liberal member for Denison in the House of Representatives and re-elected as the Liberal federal member for Denison in 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1984. He was defeated on 11 July 1987, when the electoral boundaries dramatically changed under the Hawke Labor government.

On 1 February 1992, he was elected as the Liberal state member for Denison in the House of Assembly. He was re-elected as the Liberal member for Denison in the 1996 state election. He was defeated on 29 August 1998, when the House of Assembly was reduced from 35 to 25 seats. He was re-elected as the Liberal member for Denison in the House of Assembly by-election on 21 August 2001, re-elected again on 20 July 2002 and re-elected again on 18 March 2006.

He was certainly larger than life. The Mercury editorial on Friday, 20 November 2009 had this to say about Michael Hodgman:

He also became known for sticking up for the battler. He is at ease mingling with all types and often uses his die-hard support for Geelong in the AFL to start conversations.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for COAG and Modernising the Federation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hear, Hear!

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear ‘hear, hear!’ from Senator Payne. The editorial continued:

He is a man of the people.

                  …              …              …

His eloquent verbal assaults in State Parliament are often interspersed with dry humour and wit. An avid constitutional monarchist, Mr Hodgman battled tirelessly in the name of the Queen in the 1999 republic referendum - another bitterly divisive debate.

And finally:

He is from the old school where manners and etiquette override political differences. Left, right or centre, he will lend an ear.

He represents an age when to be called a gentleman was an honour and a compliment.

Few terms better describe him.

There is so much fondness and love for Michael Hodgman—certainly not just in the Tasmanian Liberal Party or in the federal Liberal Party but across the state of Tasmania and across the country—to the extent that the Hon. Andrew Peacock, the former Liberal leader, took time out of his busy schedule and travelled from Texas, USA, to fly to Hobart to give a tribute to the Hon. Michael Hodgman last Friday night. He was the guest of honour at that event. He spoke wonderfully and clearly about some of the special times that he remembered having spent with the Hon. Michael Hodgman—referring to the escapades he had had with Bruce Goodluck MHR, the former federal member for Franklin, who also attended the event. It was a capacity crowd. It was booked out. In fact, dozens and dozens could not attend the special dinner in his honour.

The members of the Tasmanian Liberal Senate team, Senators Abetz, Bushby, Parry, Colbeck and me, all attended; we were there in full force. Senator Abetz even gave a tribute on behalf of the Tasmanian Liberals, and all of the Tasmanian state Liberals were there, including his son Will Hodgman, who gave a special and emotional speech in honour of his father and the longstanding member for Denison, Michael Hodgman QC MP.

The House of Assembly, on 19 November last year, unanimously passed a resolution commending and placing on record its appreciation for his distinguished contribution to the parliament of both the Commonwealth of Australia and the state of Tasmania. A collection of the valedictory speeches was compiled by my office and put together into a little booklet, and I presented it to Michael Hodgman QC last Friday night. He became a life member of the Liberal Party. The MC was state president Sam McQuestin. It was attended by many of Michael Hodgman’s old friends. I mentioned Bruce Goodluck. There was also Ray Groom, the former Premier, and people like Eunice Jacobson. Edith Langham paid a tribute to him and there were many others who spoke so fondly of Michael Hodgman and his contribution. Denison Liberal Party chairman Professor Randy Rose also gave a presentation and spoke in favour of Michael Hodgman.

He is such a colourful character. He is highly passionate. He is committed to his causes and to his beliefs. He is certainly, I would say, the No. 1 ticket holder in Tasmania and around the country for the Australian constitutional monarchy. He regularly wears the Australian flag tie. In fact, there was a special auction of that particular tie. I think it had been worn for several weeks non-stop. It gave an excellent price, too, as a result of the strong support for him and as a tribute to him. We are very thankful for the service of Michael Hodgman QC, MP.

I first got to know Michael Hodgman when I joined the Liberal Party. In 1980 I was a member of the Denison electorate as a Liberal Club member at the University of Tasmania, where I was studying law. He gave me a lot of encouragement and support. He came down and spoke to the members of the Tasmanian university Liberal Club. I subsequently was president there. He in fact brought down Andrew Peacock. He ensured that Malcolm Fraser and Mrs Fraser also attended during their time in the parliament, to provide support for the younger members of the Liberal Party at the time. So there is a lot of fondness and happy memories.

He was of course shadow Attorney-General for many years, shadow minister for justice and shadow minister for the public trustee. He was Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly and shadow minister for racing. Of course racing was one of his special areas of interest. People across the racing fraternity in Tasmania and across the country know that full well. At the federal level he was Minister for the Capital Territory and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Commerce during 1980 to 1983. He has had a special interest in veterans affairs and has been a consistent supporter of the RSL and veterans in Tasmania and across the country.

In terms of his personal interest, I have mentioned racing and tennis. He is such a friend of the battler. He is a friend of Tasmania. He is a man who I would put in the ilk, in terms of his oratory skills, of former Prime Minister Robert Menzies and Sir James Killen. I know many Tasmanians, Liberals and otherwise, would want to pay tribute to him in this place, in this federal parliament, to thank him for his service. I think the greatest tribute that we could possibly pay the Hon. Michael Hodgman QC, MP would be, in fact, to elect his son, the Hon. Will Hodgman, as Premier of Tasmania at the 20 March state election. In the Bass electorate Peter Gutman MP, the Hon. Sue Napier MP, former federal member Michael Ferguson, Nick Pedley and Pam Dakin will be running. In Braddon we have Jeremy Rockliff, Brett Whiteley, Colin and Philip Lamont, Grant Dunham, Adam Brooks and Leonnie Hiscutt. In Denison the candidates are Elise Archer, Jenny Branch, Matt Groom, Matt Stevenson and Richard Lowrie. In Franklin there are Will Hodgman, Jillian Law, Jacqui Petrusma, Tony Mulder and David Compton. And in Lyons we have the Hon. Rene Higging MP, Jane Howlett, Jim Playsted, Leigh Gray and Mark Shelton. To pay a tribute to Michael Hodgman, I would certainly call on all members of the Tasmanian community to support his son, Will, to ensure that real change does occur, as Will has been calling on the Tasmanian community to support real change, to support the Liberals at the next state election. I think that would be a great tribute to pay to the Hon. Michael Hodgman QC, MP. In closing I just want to say: we salute you, Michael Hodgman QC, MP. You are a great man. Congratulations and well done.