When 25-year-old Lara Giddings woke one winter morning in 1998, she was unemployed and didn't know what to do next.
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In actual fact, that challenging period would help her rebuild to become Tasmania's first and only female premier.
At 23 she was the youngest woman elected to an Australian parliament when she won the seat of Lyons in 1996.
But a series of events - the shrinking of Tasmania's parliament and a rival candidate who shared the same name as the state Labor party leader - contributed to her defeat at the 1998 election.
"It was a really good life lesson for me - to have something that I so wanted and worked so hard for taken away from me," Ms Giddings told AAP.
"I just remember very profoundly waking up that morning and thinking 'this is how a lot of my constituents wake up every morning' - and how distressing that is.
"It built me up to be the person I became when I re-entered politics."
Over the next few years, Ms Giddings took up roles that forced her to travel between Canberra and Launceston and even worked for a member of the Scottish parliament.
Ms Giddings eventually won a seat for Labor at the 2002 election and after climbing the ladder for the next nine years, became premier.
Though the early 2010s was generally a positive period for women in leadership, with three female premiers and prime minister Julia Gillard, none could escape the misogyny of politics.
Ms Giddings notes her experience was not nearly as bad as Ms Gillard's, but that she would regularly be ignored when addressing parliament, putting her in an uncomfortable position.
She believes parliaments across Australia have become more welcoming.
On Thursday, the 51-year-old was appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to the people and parliament of Tasmania.
But she does not think she could return to the world of politics.
The nature of technology and news has shrunk the shelf-life of premiers, Ms Giddings said.
"There is this absolute pressure for there to be 24/seven access to you - you will be across absolutely every issue, and it's not a very forgiving environment," she said.
As the chief executive of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association, Ms Giddings is familiar with the way communication has changed.
Australians no longer watch television and news, they get their information through social media which provides them with stories they want to see, she said..
"It worries me.
"And it would be a challenge, I think, to be a member of parliament today."
The Australia Day Honours List names a number of people recognised for their services to politics and parliament.
Another former Tasmanian premier, Liberal Robin Gray, gets a nod, along with former federal representatives Liberal MPs Shaman Stone and Wilson Tuckey, plus Nationals senator John Williams.
Australian Associated Press
