Howard William Thomas Hobbs (born 22 January 1950) is an Australian politician who represented the seat of Warrego in the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

from 1 November 1986 until his retirement at the 31 January 2015 state election. He was a member of the National Party of Australia until the Queensland division merged with the Liberal party to form the

Liberal National Party of Queensland The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. At a federal level and in most other ...

. In February 1996, Hobbs was appointed as the Minister for Natural Resources in the

Borbidge government The Borbidge Ministry was a The Ministry, Ministry of the Government of Queensland, led by National Party of Australia – Queensland, National Party Premier Rob Borbidge and his deputy, Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), Liberal l ...

. He resigned two years later, after his wife alleged that her husband was travelling with a young female staff member with whom he was having "an intimate and unprofessional relationship". It was later revealed that the staff member was Ann Leahy, who succeeded Hobbs as the member for Warrego in 2015. Hobbs was Shadow Minister for Local Government and Planning and for Communities from 28 September 2005 until the LNP entered government following the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

. As the longest-serving member of the Legislative Assembly, he presides at the election of Speakers. When he did so in 2009, Dean Wells equalled him in seniority, but Hobbs had taken the oath first because his name came first alphabetically, so he took the chair as Presiding Member.Queensland, Legislative Assembly
''Hansard'', 21 April 2009 at 4–5
After Wells lost his seat at the 2012 election, Hobbs was the longest-serving member until his retirement at the 2015 state election.

Prior to parliament

* Chairman, Tambo Shire Council, 1980–1987 * Tambo Shire Shire Councillor 1975-1980 * Served in 49 RQR (Royal Queensland Rifles) at

Wacol Wacol is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wacol had a population of 3,761 people. Geography Wacol is bounded to the west by the Brisbane River and to the north loosely by Wolston Creek. It is south-west of t ...

Personal life

Hobbs has two children.

References

External links

Official Biography
1950 births Living people Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland Liberal National Party of Queensland politicians 21st-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub