Mr Lennon has today been recognised as an Officer (AO) of the General Division of the Order of Australia, for his role in diversifying Tasmania’s economy and his efforts in driving reconciliation with the state’s Aboriginal community.

The former leader said he will always have some regrets about his time in politics, but compensating members of the stolen generations in 2007 was one of his government’s finest moments.

‘‘I can recall to this day that many of my colleagues were nervous about it because they thought it would hurt our election chances in 2006,’’ Mr Lennon said.

‘‘But I’d made up my mind that I wanted to do that, I sought a mandate for it, and you have to do what you believe in.’’

Mr Lennon said slashing the jobless rate, taxes and debt while in government had helped transform Tasmania.

He said building BassLink, the natural gas pipeline and Meander Dam, as well as introducing the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, had also put the state on solid footing. Mr Lennon said the Tasmanian ALP must not get bogged down by opinion polls, which show the party and its leader Bryan Green languishing well behind the Liberal government and its premier.

‘‘We were a government that led, that did what we thought was needed for the state, without worrying about making announcements and decisions based on opinion polls,’’ he said.

‘‘Paying too much attention to polls leads to a crippling inertia in decision making.’’

Mr Lennon, who retired from politics in 2008, was a central figure in promoting the controversial Tamar Valley pulp mill project.

The divisive development is not yet dead, with at least one international buyer bidding for the mill and its permits.

‘‘This project is vitally important to the Northern economy and I still think it’s critical the development gets up,’’ Mr Lennon said.