Editing Steve Bracks (section)

==Before politics==
From 1976 to 1981 Bracks was a school commerce teacher at [[Sacred Heart College, Ballarat]].<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Challenge of Change |url=http://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/_uploads/enews/2013_E-news/March/feb28heather.pdf |magazine=Catholic Diocese of Ballarat e-news |location=Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |publisher=Diocese of Ballarat |date=28 February 2013 |access-date=9 May 2016 |archive-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311102836/http://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/_uploads/enews//2013_E-news/March/feb28heather.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the 1980s he worked in local government in Ballarat and then as executive director of the Ballarat Education Centre. While in these positions he twice (1985 and 1988) contested the seat of Ballarat North in the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly]] for the [[Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)|Labor Party]].<ref name="timeline">[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22143511-2,00.html Steve Bracks timeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007012007/http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22143511-2,00.html |date=7 October 2008 }}, [[News Limited]], 27 July 2007.</ref>

In 1989 Bracks was appointed statewide manager of Victorian state government employment programs, under the Labor government of [[John Cain (junior)|John Cain Jr]]. He then became an adviser to both Cain and Cain's successor as Premier, [[Joan Kirner]]. Here he witnessed from the inside the collapse of the Labor government following the economic and budgetary crisis which began in 1988. This experience gave Bracks a very conservative and cautious view of economic management in government.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/jeff-and-teds-misadventure/2006/11/17/1163266787639.html?page=fullpage Jeff and Ted's misadventure], ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 18 November 2006.</ref>

Following the defeat of the Kirner government by the [[Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)|Liberal]] leader [[Jeff Kennett]] in late 1992, Bracks became executive director of the Victorian Printing Industry Training Board. Kirner resigned from parliament in 1994, and Bracks was elected to Kirner's seat of Williamstown in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Bracks and his wife Terry lived in Williamstown. They have three children,<ref name="timeline"/> one of whom is model [[Nick Bracks]].