John Lenders

John Lenders (born 1 October 1958) is an Australian politician. He represented the Southern Metropolitan Region in the Victorian Legislative Council. He was most notably the Minister for Education in the Bracks Government and Treasurer of Victoria in the Brumby Government.

He was appointed Treasurer in August 2007 following the appointment of Premier John Brumby and was succeeded on 3 December 2010 after the election of the Baillieu Government. Lenders also served as the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council during the tenure of the Labor Government.

He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council from 2010 to 2014 and held a number of shadow ministries.

Lenders retired at the 2014 Victorian state election.

Prior positions Lenders entered parliament in September 1999, as the MLA for Dandenong North. During this period, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance.

Prior to his election to the Victorian State Parliament in 1999, he was Assistant State Secretary 1988 and later State Secretary and Campaign Director of the Victorian ALP in 1994. During this time, he was also a member of the National Executive and Campaign Committee.

Family Lenders is the son of dairy farmers from Gippsland, and is married with three children. He grew up in regional Victoria, before moving to Melbourne for tertiary education.

Education Lenders attended Drouin East Primary School in 1963. He then moved to St Joseph's Primary School in Trafalgar until graduation in 1969.

Lenders studied education at Rusden Teachers College after graduating from Trafalgar High School; before going on to study law at Monash University

Memberships Lenders is a member of the Labor Party and has previously served as its State Secretary and campaign director.

Lenders is also a member of the Australian Services Union; Bicycle Victoria; and is a fellow of the Williamson Community Leadership Program.

In September 2010 Lenders was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Proportional Representation Society of Australia in recognition of his commitment to reform of the Victorian Legislative Council, which he oversaw in the lead-up to and following the Labor Government's re-election in 2002.