Longest-serving politician to retire

Australia's longest-serving politician Michael Hodgman rates his opposition to
Indonesia's "bloody, brutal invasion" of East Timor as the highlight of his time as
a federal MP.
The 71-year-old now Tasmanian Liberal MP and QC, told state parliament on Thursday
he would quit politics at the March 20 election next year after more than 40 years
as a state and federal politician.
Mr Hodgman, a staunch monarchist who ended his last speech as an MP with an emphatic
"God save the Queen", is battling emphysema.
Looking back over the years, he told state parliament that he was a member of the
Fraser government at the time of Indonesia's "annexation" of East Timor.
"What a weasel word that is from the lexicon of international diplomacy," he said.
"It wasn't annexation. It was a bloody and brutal invasion.
"And although it took a generation, the day the independent nation of East Timor was
granted independence was a very happy day for me indeed."
Although struggling for breath in the oppressive summer heat, Mr Hodgman showed he'd
lost none of his trademark barrister's flourish at a later news conference when he
was asked if he would have preferred to die on the job.
"Are you a bit sad that won't happen?" a reporter asked.
"No, Mr Hodgman chuckled, "I'm only here until the 20th of March."
"But I'd just like to say, on a lighter note, I get a State funeral at any rate.
"So I won't be costing the family a cent.
"My term as a federal minister entitles me to a State funeral - and by gosh, we'll
make it a good one."
It is often said that Mr Hodgman knows everyone in Tasmania and everyone in Tasmania
knows him.
His efforts for the state's battlers and disadvantaged earned him great support in
traditional Labor electorates.
Indeed, in his state Hobart seat of Denison, he topped the poll at the last election
ahead of Premier David Bartlett, under Tasmania's Hare-Clark system of proportional
representation.
Tasmania's current Liberal leader Will Hodgman is Mr Hodgman's son.
The latest poll out this month shows his son is on track to become Tasmania's next
Liberal premier.
Mr Hodgman snr first entered politics in 1966, serving as a Tasmanian Upper House
member until 1974 when he left state politics to enter the federal sphere in 1975 as
the member for the Hobart seat of Denison.
He was a minister in the Fraser government from 1980 until its defeat to Labor's
anti-Franklin dam leader Bob Hawke in March 1983. He lost Denison in 1987 in a
fierce battle to Duncan Kerr.
Mr Hodgman served as the federal minister for the Australian Capital Territory and
minister assisting the minister for industry and commerce.
He then returned to Tasmanian politics, in the lower house electorate of Denison,
until he was defeated in 1998 when state parliament was reduced from 35 to 25
members.
He regained the seat in 2001 after a recount of votes due to the retirement of
former premier Ray Groom and will leave politics as opposition justice spokesman.
Mr Hodgman's retirement brought to a close a distinguished political career, said
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra, paying tribute to his colleague's
"enormous passion and zest" for the advocacy of Tasmania.
Mr Turnbull thanked him for a lifetime of service and said he would be missed.