The Honourable Bruce Atkinson is the President of the Legislative Council and a Member for Eastern Metropolitan Region. |
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Bruce was first elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1992 as the Member for the former Koonung Province, and was elected as a member of Eastern Metropolitan Region in 2006.
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| Trained in journalism he began his career as a cadet for the Newsads Group. Involved in youth and community work he undertook public relations and promotions work with his own small business. Bruce then became involved in retail management and has held a number of key positions in centre management, publishing and marketing consultancy. |
| Bruce was a Councillor of the city of Nunawading prior to his election to State Parliament, serving two terms as Mayor of the city that subsequently merged with Box Hill to become the Whitehorse City Council. |
| Bruce is a member of his local Rotary Club and has a keen interest in sports including cricket, football and soccer. He is also involved as a member of the Knox Club, the Mitcham RSL Club and the National Trust. |
| In parliament, Bruce was the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Local Government from 1996 to 1998, and was Shadow Minister for Small & Medium Enterprise, WorkCover and Sport & Recreation. He is currently the Deputy President of the Legislative Council and the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Business Development. |
| A member of the Liberal Party since 1969, Bruce attended Nunawding Primary School and Mitcham High School (now Mullauna College) and lives in Donvale. Bruce and his wife Libby have three adult children. He has held public office in the eastern suburbs for more than 30 years with 17 in local government and more than 16 in state parliament. |