I do not come to the position of leader of the Liberal Party from a lifetime of privilege. I know what it is like to be very short of money. I know what it is like to live in rented flats. I know what it is like to grow up with a single parent, with no support other than a devoted and loyal father. I know Australians are doing it tough and some Australians, even in the years of greatest prosperity, will always do it tough. It is our job as Liberals to ensure that our society is a fair one; a society of opportunity; a society where people can, like my father and I, be able to take advantage of those opportunities, to seize those opportunities and with enterprise and energy, and good luck and hard work, do well.

We are a party of opportunity and this is a land of opportunity. Australians and Australia can do anything. We can do anything, but we need to have confidence, we need to have leadership. We need, above all, to have the opportunities to do well. And that is the great difference between our side of politics and Labor, because we believe that government's role is to enable each and every Australian to do their best, to exercise their freedom of choice to do their best. Labor believes government knows best. We know our job is to empower and enable the enterprise, the dreams, the ambitions of Australians- of all Australians. And that is what I commit myself to doing as the leader of the Liberal Party, as the leader of the Opposition.

As Liberals, we need to network out into the community as we develop the policies and the programs that will take us forward. But they must, above all, be policies that reflect the values upon which our party is founded, and they are values of freedom and fairness. A free society, a fair society; it cannot be free if it is not fair. That is the society Liberal governments have created. That is the environment that we have enabled to develop. And we will do so again when we are re-elected in 2010.

As Leader I am committed to setting a new direction for our Party, and together with my colleagues engaging with the Tasmanian community and developing policies that are sensible, balanced and reflect the aspirations and needs of mainstream Tasmanians.

The Tasmanian Liberals are a strong, unified team with all elected members having an impressive array of experience in professional and public life.

We will vigorously hold the Bartlett Labor Government to account but will also serve as a positive and constructive alternative government.

The Deputy Leader of the Party is Jeremy Rockliff.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our web site. If there is anything that we can do to assist you, or if you have any feedback you'd like to provide, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Hon Will Hodgman MP
Tasmanian Liberal Leader

... [ MORE ]
 

Please take a few moments to explore our site. I hope this web site will give you an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the Liberal Party and our activities in Tasmania.

You will also find information on how you can become involved in the Liberal Party by becoming a member. Your membership will provide you with access and influence in the political arena at both the State and Federal levels.

The Liberal Party also provides members a number of forums at which to debate issues and ideas. Membership feedback is cruicial for policy development and as a result members input is always heard and appreciated.

The Liberal Party has an exciting future in Tasmania with a dynamic team in State Parliament and in the Senate. We have made significant progress in the last few years and our planning is designed to continue to build on our success and momentum.

If you have any further questions from what you see on this site please feel free to contact the State Division offices on (03) 62241015.

Sam McQuestin
State President