- John Pandazopoulos
John Pandazopoulos (born
21 July 1963 ) is a Victorian politician. He is a Member of theLegislative Assembly , representing the electorate of Dandenong for theAustralian Labor Party . During the Bracks Government, he was a member of Cabinet, serving as Minister for Major Projects, Employment, Tourism, Gaming and Racing. He was also Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs. [ [http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=140 re-member - Parliament of Victoria ] ]He is married with two children.
Early life
Pandazopoulos was born in
Melbourne in1963 . He grew up in the outer suburb ofDoveton , where he attended Doveton High School. He gained admission toMonash University in1982 , where he obtained aBachelor of Arts . While at university, he was active in student politics, serving as Secretary of theMonash Student Association as well as having an active role inNUGAS . One of his contemporaries in student politics wasJohn Lenders , who is nowTreasurer of Victoria.Upon graduating, Pandazopoulos began work as an organiser with the
Finance Sector Union . He was elected to the City of Berwick Council in 1987, and was Mayor from 1990-1991. [ [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~jpanda/ Panda ] ]Political career
At age 29, Pandazopoulos was elected to the Victorian Parliament as Member for Dandenong. [ [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~jpanda/ Panda ] ] While the Labor Party was in Opposition from 1992-1999, he was appointed to a number of key roles, such as Shadow Minister for Freedom of Information and Tourism. When the Bracks Government was elected in 1999, Pandazopoulos became a member of the Victorian Cabinet as Minister for Major Projects, as well as Minister for Gaming and Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs. He was dropped from Cabinet after the 2006 Victorian election, and has since served as Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
References
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