Will Hodgman has been acknowledged in some quarters as one of the greatest Tasmanian premiers on record, having presided over unprecedented economic growth in his six-year tenure.

Tourism has boomed, exports are up and educational outcomes are improving — all achievements worthy of note.

But whomever the Liberals elect as leader early next week has inherited some seriously significant challenges.

With leadership race shaping up to be a battle between Treasurer Peter Gutwein and State Growth Minister Michael Ferguson, we take a look at what lies ahead for the next premier of Tasmania.

Health

Barely a day goes by without Tasmania's ailing health system making headlines, whether it is the lengthy emergency department waits, poor access to primary health services or Tasmanians' ongoing status as the sickest population in Australia.

The elective surgery wait list has grown by more than 3,000 people since 2014, and the public outpatient wait lists are long to the point of despair.

A Tasmanian in need of an urgent appointment with a neurologist will wait, on average, more than one year to be seen.

Tasmanians are repeatedly told the redeveloped Royal Hobart Hospital's K Block's opening is "imminent" but no final date has been set after lengthy delays.

Surgical abortion services are available, but women who do not meet Health Department criteria living in regional areas will have to travel to Hobart to access them.

Tasmania's health system has been under pressure for years. ( ABC News )

In June of last year, Mr Hodgman shuffled Mr Ferguson out as Health Minister, replacing him with the less-experienced Sarah Courtney, who then had to contend with unrest among young doctors at Royal Hobart Hospital over workloads and patient care.

With an election two years out, it is imperative the new premier sets health high on the priority list.

Social inclusion

Mr Hodgman said in December his priority was to ensure all Tasmanians shared in the state's "golden age", as the Treasurer once described it. Unquestionably, many are not.

Analysis by the Tasmanian Council of Social Services released last year showed more Tasmanians were accessing energy concessions, deferring GP visits and waiting for public housing than when the Liberals came to government in 2014.

The state was gripped by a homelessness crisis in the depths of winter last year, and there is a severe shortage of affordable housing, particularly in Hobart, where rents rose 10 per cent in the past year alone.

The Government announced funding for economic stimulus in struggling areas last year, but whoever takes the top job has a serious task ahead to lift the 120,000 Tasmanians living in poverty out of a desperate situation.

Environment

An end to the moratorium on logging is imminent. ( ABC Northern Tasmania: Fred Hooper )

The Liberals came to power in 2014 vowing to tear up the Tasmanian Forest Agreement.

This year, vast swathes of land previously protected will be open to logging — if the government chooses to do so.

Green groups are gearing up for a fight to protect the 356,000 hectares of forest dubbed Future Potential Production Forest despite no sign from the government it plans to actually access the so-called "wood bank".

If the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania's bid to access the previously locked-up forests is successful, the new premier could face a return to the so-called "forest wars" of the past.

Meanwhile, environmentalists will no doubt maintain pressure on the Liberals over developments in wilderness areas, and Environment Tasmania has recently launched a national campaign spotlighting the state's salmon farming industry.

As well, the company behind the kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car proposal expects a decision on whether the infrastructure can be built by the end of 2020, while not a state government decision, it is a project that has been backed in by the Liberals.

Economy

The Treasury Department released stark analysis last year warning the state could become up to $30 billion in debt by 2033-34 without quick intervention.

In the best-case scenario, assuming no corrective policy changes, Tasmania would be $4 billion in debt within 14 years.

The Liberals came to power pledging they would not introduce new taxes and maintained that stance, even after the Treasury modelling was released.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 16 seconds 1 m 16 s Tasmanian Premier announces shock resignation

Public servants have been asked to find $450 million savings over the forward estimates, a request that amounts to a cut in some areas, including health.

The state is also facing a $280 million hit to its GST share to 2022-23, something Mr Gutwein has acknowledged as a challenge.

Rightly, Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest has repeatedly pointed out the health of the budget often relies on accounting tricks, such as underfunding health and deferring infrastructure spending.

The Government has ridden a wave of positive headlines on the economy, and often rightly so, but cracks may soon start to show soon.

Damage control

Will Hodgman's Government was dealt blows with the loss of former MPs Matt Groom, Adam Brooks and Rene Hidding, and skated through a scandal with Ms Courtney.

Will Hodgman with Sarah Courtney, who survived an Integrity Commission investigation. ( ABC News: Scott Ross )

Mr Hodgman managed threats from maverick Speaker Sue Hickey to quit the party by keeping her in the tent after a week of negotiations.

It's extremely likely a reshuffle will take place under the new premier, meaning Ms Hickey may or may not get a look-in.

Mr Hodgman, universally acknowledged as likeable, leaves big shoes for his successor to fill in managing necessary relationships for a government with a one-seat majority, including with new independent MP Madeleine Ogilvie, who will hold a crucial vote in the state's Lower House.

Labor-turned-independent Madeleine Ogilvie, along with others, could figure prominently. ( ABC News: Jack Tegg )

Legislation

A series of tricky legislation will be debated in the state's Parliament this year, including new gaming, anti-protest and mandatory sentencing laws, all of which will face significant scrutiny.

Peter Gutwein, Michael Ferguson and Jeremy Rockliff are considered frontrunners for premier. ( ABC News )

Hospitality industry stakeholders, who poured at least $500,000 into the Liberals' 2018 election campaign, are still waiting to see detail on the legislation that will break up Federal Group's poker machine monopoly.

The Government seemed at sea on how it would deliver all its promises on gaming, including greater harm minimisation measures, when quizzed on the detail of the proposed new laws last year.

The state's Upper House has knocked back mandatory sentencing and anti-protest laws before, and with the seats of Huon and Rosevears up for election in May, the Government could face a seriously changed dynamic.

Untested team

The new leader will also be working with a new Liberal Party state director heading into a 2022 election.

The loss of Mr Hodgman's 27,000 primary votes in the seat of Franklin could leave the party seriously vulnerable, and opposition parties are said to be quietly buoyed by the prospect of either Mr Gutwein or Mr Ferguson at the helm, believing both to be more susceptible to attack than Mr Hodgman.

Calm, amid the chaos

Will Hodgman presented a stable face for what was, at times, an unstable government. Whoever takes the state's top job has a tough task ahead.

According to Liberals, the best thing the next premier can do is ensure business as usual.

Some Tasmanians, such as those on public housing wait lists, waiting for health care or keeping an eye on the state's bottom line, may disagree.