Justin Mark Madden (born 31 May 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and state politician. He played for the Essendon Football Club and the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL).
After his retirement in 1997, Madden decided to enter Victorian politics, using the experience gained from his presidency of the

AFL Players Association The AFL Players Association (AFL PA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players. The AFL PA promotes and protects its membe ...

to run for candidacy as an

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

member. He served in both the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

and

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...

before retiring from office in November 2014. Madden is also a registered architect in the State of Victoria.

Early life

Madden was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, he attended Primary School at St Christopher's in Airport West and had his secondary schooling at St. Bernard's College in

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

, a school renowned for its sporting prowess. He then studied teaching at the Institute of Catholic Education (now the Australian Catholic University).

VFL/AFL playing career

Madden was still at college when he made his VFL senior debut in 1980 with the Essendon Football Club, where his older brother

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

was an established player. He graduated from college the following year and, in 1982, set about juggling the twin demands of teaching and football careers. In 1980 and 1981, Madden played 45 games for Essendon, but was concerned that he was not getting enough playing time, and transferred to

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

part way through the

1983 VFL season The 1983 VFL season was the 87th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 26 March until 24 September, and comprised a ...

. Standing at 206 cm (6' 9") tall, Madden was one of the tallest men ever to play Australian Rules football, and his potential in this area was fully utilized by Carlton, who used him as their main ruckman. Over the next fifteen seasons, Madden became a mainstay of the Carlton side, and one of the most recognizable players in the league, playing 287 games for the club. He was a member of their 1987 and 1995 premiership teams, and came within one vote of tying with

Brad Hardie Bradley John Hardie (born 10 October 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented , , and in the Australian Football League (AFL) as well as in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Stocky built with bright red hair, Ha ...

for the 1985

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

when he polled three votes in five consecutive games. Madden retired from teaching in 1988, and in 1990, became President of the

, (taking over the role from his older brother

) while still playing for Carlton and at the peak of his career. In his seven-year tenure, which continued until his retirement, he oversaw the increasing professionalism of the game with the first players' collective bargaining agreement, and the expansion of the association to the point where it represented almost every eligible player in the entire league. Despite the increasing demands of AFL football, where most players were becoming professional players, Madden studied at RMIT University to become an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. After graduating, he worked in this field while continuing to play football.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1980 , , 44 , , 5 , , 1 , , 2 , , 20 , , 7 , , 27 , , 5 , , , , 79 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 5.4 , , 1.0 , , , , 15.8 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, , 44 , , 17 , , 2 , , 6 , , 93 , , 44 , , 137 , , 34 , , , , 436 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 5.5 , , 2.6 , , 8.1 , , 2.0 , , , , 25.6 , , 4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1982 , , 44 , , 23 , , 17 , , 11 , , 177 , , 87 , , 264 , , 81 , , , , 631 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 7.7 , , 3.8 , , 11.5 , , 3.5 , , , , 27.4 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, , 44 , , 10 , , 18 , , 8 , , 66 , , 19 , , 85 , , 34 , , , , 133 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 6.6 , , 1.9 , , 8.5 , , 3.4 , , , , 13.3 , , 2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, , 44 , , 22 , , 39 , , 19 , , 155 , , 53 , , 208 , , 86 , , , , 339 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 7.0 , , 2.4 , , 9.5 , , 3.9 , , , , 15.4 , , 1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, , 44 , , 20 , , 12 , , 6 , , 224 , , 105 , , 329 , , 135 , , , , 275 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 11.2 , , 5.3 , , 16.5 , , 6.8 , , , , 13.8 , , 21 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

, , 44 , , 24 , , 9 , , 8 , , 213 , , 91 , , 304 , , 128 , , , , 477 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 8.9 , , 3.8 , , 12.7 , , 5.3 , , , , 19.9 , , 9 , - , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

† , , 44 , , 23 , , 20 , , 10 , , 184 , , 111 , , 295 , , 99 , , 15 , , 415 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 8.0 , , 4.8 , , 12.8 , , 4.3 , , 0.7 , , 18.0 , , 7 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, , 44 , , 22 , , 12 , , 7 , , 165 , , 107 , , 272 , , 122 , , 9 , , 380 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 7.5 , , 4.9 , , 12.4 , , 5.5 , , 0.4 , , 17.3 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, , 44 , , 19 , , 5 , , 6 , , 168 , , 70 , , 238 , , 90 , , 15 , , 327 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 8.8 , , 3.7 , , 12.5 , , 4.7 , , 0.8 , , 17.2 , , 11 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, , 44 , , 19 , , 7 , , 3 , , 165 , , 96 , , 261 , , 78 , , 11 , , 346 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 8.7 , , 5.1 , , 13.7 , , 4.1 , , 0.6 , , 18.2 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, , 44 , , 22 , , 4 , , 3 , , 170 , , 149 , , 319 , , 109 , , 19 , , 419 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 7.7 , , 6.8 , , 14.5 , , 5.0 , , 0.9 , , 19.0 , , 8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1992 , , 44 , , 14 , , 3 , , 1 , , 135 , , 59 , , 194 , , 65 , , 5 , , 194 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 9.6 , , 4.2 , , 13.9 , , 4.6 , , 0.4 , , 13.9 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, , 44 , , 22 , , 12 , , 5 , , 171 , , 139 , , 310 , , 93 , , 22 , , 363 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 7.8 , , 6.3 , , 14.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , 16.5 , , 11 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, , 44 , , 24 , , 21 , , 8 , , 163 , , 105 , , 268 , , 84 , , 19 , , 358 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 6.8 , , 4.4 , , 11.2 , , 3.5 , , 0.8 , , 14.9 , , 12 , - , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

† , , 44 , , 25 , , 5 , , 4 , , 171 , , 95 , , 266 , , 65 , , 14 , , 354 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 6.8 , , 3.8 , , 10.6 , , 2.6 , , 0.6 , , 14.2 , , 2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1996 , , 44 , , 21 , , 3 , , 3 , , 104 , , 42 , , 146 , , 25 , , 14 , , 220 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 7.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 10.5 , , 3 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 332 ! 190 ! 110 ! 2544 ! 1379 ! 3923 ! 1333 ! 143 ! 5746 ! 0.6 ! 0.3 ! 7.7 ! 4.2 ! 11.8 ! 4.0 ! 0.7 ! 17.3 ! 120

Political career

After retiring from football in 1997, Madden continued to work as an architect. The Essendon and Carlton Football Clubs agreed to name future contests between the two clubs the ''Madden Cup'', in honour of both the Madden brothers. By this time, Madden was also a life member at Carlton. Madden's nomination as a Labor candidate for the Legislative Council seat of

Doutta Galla Province Doutta Galla Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Bot ...

in the leadup to the 1999 state election came as a surprise to many. However, he attained pre-selection, and was subsequently elected. When Labor won a surprise victory at the election, Madden found himself appointed Minister for Sport and Recreation, despite having no prior political experience. This was in spite of rumours that he had specifically requested not to be given Sport and Recreation, but instead had asked to be made responsible for Education. He was initially given the additional portfolio of Youth Affairs, but this was replaced with the Commonwealth Games after the 2002 election. In the wake of reforms to the Legislative Council which cut the number of members, Madden was initially placed in danger of losing his pre-selection, but was saved by intervention from Premier Steve Bracks. This initially saw him pre-selected for the Legislative Assembly seat of Bundoora, vacated by former minister

Sherryl Garbutt Sherryl Maree Garbutt (born 5 May 1948) is a former Australian politician. Garbutt was awarded the Medal in the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. Early life Born in Melbourne, Victoria, she attended Oak Park High Scho ...

. However, after the sudden retirement of another former minister,

Mary Delahunty Mary Elizabeth Delahunty (born 7 June 1951) is an Australian journalist and politician with the Labor Party. Early life Delahunty was born in the Victorian town of Murtoa and educated at Loreto College in Ballarat.''Who's Who in Australia ...

, in Northcote, another deal was arranged which saw Madden instead remain in a safe position on the Legislative Council ticket. At the 2006 Victoria State election he was elected to the Legislative Council as a member for the

Western Metropolitan Region Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was create ...

. In December 2006, he became the state's Minister of Planning. In early 2007, Madden criticised Victorians for building too many large homes. This statement became controversial after it was discovered Madden himself had a sprawling home and had in fact applied to renovate and conduct a major extension onto his home, thus creating much discussion on outspoken journalist Neil Mitchell's talk-back radio program on

3AW 3AW is a talkback radio station based in Melbourne. It broadcasts on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station. The station is owned and operated by Nine Entertainment Co. Hist ...

. The Minister has since completed his extensions and defended his statements. Madden was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Metropolis Congress in Sydney October 2008. Madden addressed world mayors and industry leaders on urban development and Metropolitan Performance Management. On 25 February 2010 the ABC revealed an email mistakenly sent from Mr Madden's office containing a media strategy document. The document included strategy for dealing with a proposed development: The document said the government would claim it consulted with the community on the plans to develop the Windsor hotel then block the proposal and say it did so because it listened to community views. In the 2010 Victoria state election, when the Labor party was defeated, he moved from the Legislative Council and was elected to the Legislative Assembly seat of

. On 15 November 2013, Madden announced his intention to retire from politics at the next state election.

References

External links