Meeting in a Telephone Box | The Hon Will Hodgman

In Episode 131 of the No Limitations podcast Meeting in a Telephone Box, Blenheim Partners’ Gregory Robinson speaks to the 45th Premier of Tasmania, The Hon Will Hodgman. Will was the member for Franklin between 2002 and 2020 and is currently the Principal of Hodgman Partners.

In a compelling discussion, Will describes his start in life in a family with an illustrious history in Tasmanian politics, with his father, uncle and grandfather all having served in the Parliament of Tasmania. Will acknowledges many of the chronic problems facing Tasmania today, such as a small population base, high unemployment, and relatively lower income. However, he emphasises the major achievements of his government, including budget repair, better education outcomes, an improved tourism industry, and turning around a state that was in recession with more people leaving than entering it when he took power.

Will depicts himself as a proud and passionate Tasmanian and explains his reasons for resigning as Premier after only six years in government and at the age of 50. He addresses the question of whether he has been courted for a seat in the Federal Parliament as well as his reasons for remaining in Tasmania and the meaningful and rewarding work he is involved with outside Parliament. Will discusses his tenure as High Commissioner to Singapore and reflects on the difference in dynamics between Singaporean and Australian politics, the “enormous opportunity” in Southeast Asia, and Singapore’s common ground with Australia as an advanced and first-world democracy. Will outlines the need for Tasmania to recognise indigenous people in the Preamble to the Constitution, his preference for Australia to become a republic, and the benefits of four or five year federal parliamentary terms. Lastly, Will asserts that Tasmania and Australia should seek a more ambitious reform agenda.

Will started his career at Hobart law firm Wallace Wilkinson & Webster, practicing criminal and personal injury law. Will was then a solicitor for the Wiltshire County Council in the United Kingdom for fifteen months, where he appeared in the County Court and the High Court. Will returned to Hobart and continued to practice as a solicitor and a barrister before he entered Tasmanian Parliament in 2002 in the electorate of Franklin alongside his father, who was the member for the neighbouring Denison electorate. Will was re-elected in 2006 and was unanimously voted as leader of the Tasmanian Liberal Party. After a hung parliament in 2010 in which the incumbent Labor government was returned to power, in 2014, and under Will’s leadership, the Liberal Party won government.

Will served as Premier for six years (including another election victory in 2018) before leaving politics for family reasons. Thereafter, Will was the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore for two years. He now operates Hodgman Partners, his own consultancy, and acts as an adviser to a range of businesses across the asset management, sustainable energy storage, technology, and artificial intelligence industries.

Please note: this episode was recorded on 21 March 2024.

 

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