Steve Bracks

Stephen Phillip Bracks (born October 15, 1954), Australian politician, has been Premier of Victoria since 1999. He was born in Ballarat, a provincial city north-west of Melbourne, where his family, which is of Lebanese Maronite-Christian descent, owns a fashion business. He was educated at St. Patrick's College Catholic and the University of Ballarat, where he graduated in business studies and education. He is a keen follower of Australian Rules football, barracking for the Geelong Football Club.

Early career

From 1976 to 1981 Bracks was a school commerce teacher. During the 1980s he worked in local government in Ballarat and then as Executive Director of the Ballarat Education Centre. While in these position he twice (1985 and 1988) contested the seat of Ballarat North in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party.

Related Topics:
1976 - 1981 - 1985 - 1988 - Victorian Legislative Assembly - Australian Labor Party

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In 1989 Bracks was appointed statewide manager of Victorian state government employment programs, under the Labor government of John Cain. He then became an advisor to Cain, and to Cain's successor as Premier, Joan Kirner. Here he was able to witness from the inside the collapse of the Labor government following the economic and budgetary crisis which began in 1988. This experience gave Bracks a very conservative and cautious view of economic management in government.

Related Topics:
1989 - Labor - John Cain - Joan Kirner - 1988

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Following the defeat of the Kirner government by the Liberal leader Jeff Kennett in late 1992, Bracks became Executive Director of the Victorian Printing Industry Training Board. He quit this post in 1994 when Kirner resigned from Parliament and Bracks was elected for Kirner's seat of Williamstown in the western suburbs of Melbourne, where he now lives with his wife Terry and their three children.

Related Topics:
Liberal - Jeff Kennett - 1992 - 1994

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