Introduction
William Edward Felix "Will" Hodgman (born 20 April 1969) is an Australian politician who is the 45th and current Premier of Tasmania. He has been a member for the Division of Franklin in the Tasmanian House of Assembly since the 2002 state election. He became premier following the 2014 state election, having been Leader of the Opposition since 2006. From Hobart and educated at the University of Tasmania, Hodgman's father, uncle, and grandfather also served in the Parliament of Tasmania.
Background and early career
Hodgman is the son of former Liberal parliamentarian Michael Hodgman. His uncle, Peter, was also a Member of the Tasmanian Parliament, and his paternal grandfather, Bill Hodgman, was a member of both Houses of the Tasmanian Parliament, ending his career as President of the Legislative Council. He graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws and worked as a solicitor in a local government authority in England, where he met his wife Nicola. The couple have two sons, William and James, and a daughter, Lily.
Political career
Hodgman entered Parliament at the 2002 election in the electorate of Franklin and was elected to the role of deputy leader immediately afterwards. Hodgman was re-elected in the 2006 election receiving 21.98 per cent of first preferences, an increase compared to his previous vote of 12.37 per cent in the 2002 election. This is the third highest individual vote ever recorded in the seat of Franklin.
On 30 March 2006 he was unanimously elected as the leader of Tasmania's Liberal Party, replacing Rene Hidding following disappointing results at the 2006 election. Jeremy Rockliff is his deputy.
Hodgman has held a number of shadow portfolios in his parliamentary career, including Treasury and Finance, Energy, Major Projects and Community Development. Apart from his Party Leadership, he was also Shadow Minister for Tourism, Economic Development and the Arts.
Hodgman contested the 2010 Tasmanian state election and the result was a hung parliament. After the election, the Governor of Tasmania, Peter Underwood commissioned Labor leader David Bartlett as Premier in coalition with the Tasmanian Greens.
Before the 2014 Tasmanian state election, with polls suggesting the Liberals were positioned to win government, Hodgman had promised that he would only govern in majority. ABC News election analyst Antony Green suggested Hodgman's promise could have come back to haunt him if the Palmer United Party, which made a significant effort in the election, were to siphon off enough votes to deny the Liberals a majority. On election night, Hodgman led the Liberal Party to victory with a swing of over 9% against the incumbent Labor Party. He himself topped the poll in Franklin, tallying 23,589 first preference votes on 35 percent of the first preference vote; the total number of electors in Franklin is 74,189. This result was achieved despite competing against the leaders of both the Labor and Greens parties in this multi-member electorate. Hodgman was sworn in as the 45th Premier of Tasmania, alongside the members of his cabinet, on 31 March 2014, becoming only the fifth non-Labor premier in 80 years.