John Brumby

John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010.

He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks.

He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

Brumby was born in Melbourne on 21 April 1953.

He is one of four children born to Alison Aird and Malcolm Brumby.

His father was a World War II naval veteran and chartered accountant who became managing director of shoe retailer Ezywalkin.

In the 1970s his parents relocated to a grazing property near Coleraine, Victoria, where his father served as president of the Wannon Shire Council in the 1990s.

Brumby grew up in the suburb of Ivanhoe.

He was educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School and then later, Melbourne Grammar School.

He graduated in commerce (BCom) at University of Melbourne, in 1974; and he completed a Diploma of Education (DipEd) at the State College of Victoria at Rusden, in 1975.

He was a teacher at Eaglehawk High School, in Bendigo, from 1976 to 1979.

From 1979 to 1983 he was an employee of the Victorian Teachers Union.

He was also active in the Labor Party.

In 1983 Brumby was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Bendigo, which he held until his defeat in 1990.

A member of the Labor Unity faction, he was a strong supporter of Prime Minister Bob Hawke and an opponent of the Socialist Left faction, which historically had its stronghold in the Victorian branch of the Labor Party.

Brumby then worked as a consultant before being appointed chief of staff to the federal Minister for Resources and Tourism, Alan Griffiths with responsibility for the development of policy in areas such as energy, petroleum, minerals and tourism.

The Victorian Labor government of Joan Kirner was defeated at the October 1992 state elections by the Liberal Party led by Jeff Kennett.

Kirner resigned as leader after a short period and was succeeded by her deputy Jim Kennan.

He held this position until February 1993, when he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council at a by-election for the seat of Doutta Galla Province in Melbourne's western suburbs.

When Kennan resigned from parliament in June 1993, Brumby was elected his successor.

He resigned from the Legislative Council and was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly at a by-election for Kennan's seat of Broadmeadows in Melbourne's outer north.

From 1993 to 1996 Brumby worked to restore Labor's fortunes in Victoria.

In 1996, Brumby opposed the Kennett state government's proposed relocation of the State Museum to the Carlton Gardens site adjacent to the Royal Exhibition Building.

At this time, Brumby first proposed that the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens be nominated for World Heritage listing.

The World Heritage nomination was opposed at the time by the Kennett Liberal state government.

The defeat of the federal Labor government in March 1996 prompted Kennett to call an early state election three weeks later.

Labour only managed a net two-seat gain, leaving it 20 seats behind the Coalition.

This defeat was claimed to have undermined Brumby's position as leader.

It was not until after the 1999 state election that the Bracks Labor government nominated and obtained World Heritage Listing for the site.

Brumby was later replaced as Labor leader in March 1999, agreeing to resign in favour of Shadow Treasurer Steve Bracks.

Steve Bracks narrowly won the state election called by Kennett in September 1999 and appointed Brumby as Minister for Finance, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for State and Regional Development.

Brumby formed part of the core leadership team of senior ministers in the new government along with Bracks, Deputy Premier John Thwaites and Attorney-General Rob Hulls.

Bracks initially served as treasurer and premier, assisted by Brumby who was responsible for Victoria's finances and most of the workload of the Treasury portfolio.

On 22 May 2000, Brumby was appointed state treasurer.

As treasurer, Brumby presided over steady economic growth in Victoria, and his economic management was given some of the credit, along with the personal popularity of Bracks, for Labor's landslide re-elections in 2002 and 2006.

He contested his first election as premier at the November 2010 Victorian state election.

His government was defeated by the Liberal/National Coalition led by Ted Baillieu.

Brumby resigned as Labor leader after the election, on 30 November, to be replaced by Daniel Andrews.

Within weeks of this leadership change, Brumby left parliament, with a Broadmeadows by-election taking place on 19 February 2011.

Brumby currently is the national president of the Australia China Business Council.