Tony Lupton
Anthony Gerard "Tony" Lupton is an Australian former politician. He served as the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2010, representing the Labor Party.
Early life
Lupton was born in Melbourne and educated at Christian Brothers College in St Kilda. After leaving school, he became an apprentice motor mechanic. In 1978, he returned to school at Caulfield Institute of Technology, successfully completed the Higher School Certificate and gained entrance to an Arts/Law degree course at Monash University.After graduating he worked as a barrister, specialising in personal injuries cases for injured workers. Lupton joined the Australian Labor Party as a teenager.
Political career
Member for Prahran
At the 2002 Victorian state election, Lupton was elected as the member for Prahran after defeating sitting Liberal MP Leonie Burke. He was re-elected to a second term in 2006 after defeating Liberal candidate Clem Newton-Brown, and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation following the election. After John Brumby took office as the new premier in 2007, Lupton was appointed Cabinet Secretary.Lupton lost his seat at the 2010 state election in a rematch with Newton-Brown.
In 2014, Lupton sought Labor preselection but was defeated by Neil Pharaoh.
2025 by-election
In December 2024, Lupton announced he would run as an independent candidate at the 2025 Prahran state by-election, following Labor's decision not to endorse a candidate after the resignation of Greens-turned-independent MP Sam Hibbins. He was endorsed by former Labor premier Steve Bracks.Lupton attended a campaign meeting with conservative lobby group Advance. On his how-to-vote card, Lupton preferenced Liberal Party candidate Rachel Westaway.