He succeeded Doug Lowe as party leader and premier during internal conflict over the Franklin Dam controversy, leading the ALP to defeat at the 1982 state election just over six months after taking office.
His father, a journalist by profession, was killed in action during World War II while serving with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
[4] He was the newspaper's political correspondent and deputy chief of staff, later transferring to the state government's Directorate of Industrial Development and Trade where he was a publicity manager.
He subsequently served as press secretary to Tasmanian MP and deputy prime minister Lance Barnard.
[3] Holgate was re-elected in Bass at the 1976 state election and subsequently resigned as speaker to take up a ministerial appointment in the government of Bill Neilson.
Holgate only stayed in office for seven months, before being defeated by Robin Gray's Liberals at the 1982 election—only the second time in 48 years that Labor had been consigned to opposition in Tasmania.
[8] He resigned as leader after the election, stating that he had "tried my best, but we were brought down before I could lead the Labor government back into a position of public esteem".