Justin Mark Madden was born on 31 May 1961 and is a former Australian rules footballer and state politician.
19 Facts About Justin Madden
1.
2.
Justin Madden played for both the Essendon Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League.
3.
Justin Madden served in both the Victorian Legislative Assembly and Victorian Legislative Council before retiring from office in November 2014.
4.
Justin Madden is a registered architect in the State of Victoria.
5.
Justin Madden was born in Melbourne, he attended Primary School at St Christopher's in Airport West and had his secondary schooling at St Bernard's College in Essendon, a school renowned for its sporting prowess.
6.
Justin Madden then studied teaching at the Institute of Catholic Education.
7.
Justin Madden's older brother Simon was a footballer, playing for Essendon.
8.
Justin Madden was still at college when he made his VFL senior debut in 1980 with the Essendon Football Club, where his older brother Simon was an established player.
9.
Justin Madden graduated from college the following year and, in 1982, set about juggling the twin demands of teaching and football careers.
10.
In 1980 and 1981, Justin Madden played 45 games for Essendon, but was concerned that he was not getting enough playing time, and transferred to Carlton part way through the 1983 VFL season.
11.
Justin Madden was a member of their 1987 and 1995 premiership teams, and came within one vote of tying with Brad Hardie for the 1985 Brownlow Medal when he polled three votes in five consecutive games.
12.
Justin Madden retired from teaching in 1988, and in 1990, became President of the AFL Players Association, while still playing for Carlton and at the peak of his career.
13.
When Labor won a surprise victory at the election, Justin Madden found himself appointed Minister for Sport and Recreation, despite having no prior political experience.
14.
Justin Madden was initially given the additional portfolio of Youth Affairs, but this was replaced with the Commonwealth Games after the 2002 election.
15.
However, after the sudden retirement of another former minister, Mary Delahunty, in Northcote, another deal was arranged which saw Justin Madden instead remain in a safe position on the Legislative Council ticket.
16.
In early 2007, Justin Madden criticised Victorians for building too many large homes.
17.
Justin Madden was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Metropolis Congress in Sydney October 2008.
18.
On 25 February 2010 the ABC revealed an email mistakenly sent from Mr Justin Madden's office containing a media strategy document.
19.
On 15 November 2013, Justin Madden announced his intention to retire from politics at the next state election.