35 Facts About Will Hodgman

William Edward Felix Hodgman was born on 20 April 1969 and is a former Australian politician and diplomat.

Will Hodgman was the premier of Tasmania from 2014 to 2020 and state leader of the Liberal Party from 2006 to 2020.

Will Hodgman later served as High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore from 2021 to 2023.

Will Hodgman studied arts and law at the University of Tasmania and subsequently worked as a lawyer in Hobart.

Will Hodgman was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 2002 state election, standing in the seat of Division of Franklin.

Will Hodgman was elected party leader and leader of the opposition in 2006 following the resignation of Rene Hidding.

At the 2014 election, Will Hodgman led the Liberals to a landslide victory, forming a majority government for the first time in over 20 years.

Will Hodgman resigned as premier in 2020 after just under six years in office.

Will Hodgman was born in April 1969, the son of former Liberal parliamentarian Michael Will Hodgman.

Will Hodgman's uncle, Peter, was 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.

Will Hodgman was educated at The Hutchins School and the University of Tasmania, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1993, and a Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice in 1994.

Will Hodgman is married to Nicola, and the couple have two sons, William and James, and a daughter, Lily.

Will Hodgman was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1994.

Will Hodgman entered Parliament at the 2002 election in the electorate of Franklin and was elected to the role of deputy leader immediately afterwards.

Will Hodgman was elected alongside his father, who was elected in the neighbouring seat of Denison.

Will 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.

At the 2018 election Will Hodgman personally received 27,184 first preference votes, the highest number ever for any candidate in a state election in Tasmania.

Will Hodgman is Tasmania's seventh longest serving Premier, and the fourth-longest serving non-Labor Premier since Federation.

Will Hodgman held a number of shadow portfolios in his parliamentary career, including Treasury and Finance, Energy, Major Projects and Community Development, Tourism, Economic Development and the Arts.

Will Hodgman contested the 2010 Tasmanian state election and the result was a hung parliament, with the Liberals and Labor on 10 seats each.

However, Will Hodgman never approached the Greens before the writs were returned, and Bartlett did not promise a Will Hodgman minority government would have a minimum period of support.

Will Hodgman accused Bartlett of going back on a promise not to topple a Liberal minority government.

The Liberals picked up an additional seat in every electorate except Denison, assuring that Will Hodgman would have a secure majority.

Will Hodgman 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.

Will 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 and only the third to govern in majority.

Will Hodgman claimed 5000 jobs were at risk if machines were banned, although fact checkers called this claim overblown.

Will Hodgman personally received 27,184 first preference votes, which is the highest number ever in a Tasmanian state election.

On 14 January 2020, Will Hodgman announced his resignation as premier, and confirmed he would resign from state parliament.

Will Hodgman is one of the few Australian state politicians to have never spent a day on the backbench.

Will Hodgman spent his entire tenure in the House of Assembly in a leadership position as deputy opposition leader, opposition leader and premier.

On 15 April 2020, Will Hodgman was announced as the inaugural chair of the new Australian Business Growth Fund.

In November 2020, Will Hodgman was appointed the next Australian High Commissioner to Singapore.

Will Hodgman officially took up the position on 9 February 2021 when he presented his credentials to the President of Singapore Halimah Yacob.

Will Hodgman's term concluded on 13 February 2023 consistent with the Albanese Government's decision to re-examine supposed political appointments to high commissions and ambassadorships.

Will Hodgman was appointed as an adjunct professor at the University of Tasmania in 2023.