Bruce Atkinson

Who is Bruce Atkinson?

Bruce Norman Atkinson is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council since October 1992, representing Koonung Province from 1992 to 2006 and Eastern Metropolitan Region since. He is currently the President of the Legislative Council.

Atkinson was born in Melbourne, and attended Mitcham High School. He undertook a cadetship with the Leader group of newspapers after graduating, and worked as a journalist for a period. However, he soon made a move into the business world, first into small business, and later into several more prominent operations, including a stint managing a shopping centre. He has also been a writer for the Foodweek and Inside Retailing publications since 1981, and operates his own business consultancy firm, The Atkinson Group.

However, it was through local government that Atkinson made a name for himself in the political arena. He was elected to the Nunawading city council in 1975, where served as a councillor for seventeen years. This also included two terms as mayor in 1981–1982 and 1990–1991.

In the lead-up to the 1992 election, Atkinson succeeded in winning Liberal pre-selection for the moderately safe upper house seat of Koonung Province. He was ultimately elected, and soon nominated for the Family and Community Development Committee, which he served on from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, he was promoted to his first ministerial position, as Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Local Government by Premier Jeff Kennett.