Michael Norman Kroger (born 30 May 1957) is a former Australian lawyer. He was president of the

Victorian Liberal Party The Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), branded as Liberal Victoria, and commonly known as the Victorian Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria. It was formed in 1949 as the Liberal and Coun ...

from 1987 to 1992 and from 2015 to 2018, and is considered a member of the conservative faction.

Early life

Kroger was educated at

Wesley College, Melbourne Wesley College is an independent, co-educational, open-entry private school in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is the only school in Victoria to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) from early childhood to Year 12. Th ...

, where his father Jack Kroger was a senior master. He became politically active while studying at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

where he graduated with Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws degrees. He became president of the

Australian Liberal Students' Federation The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, howe ...

in 1978.

Politics

In 1985, Kroger briefed Alan Goldberg QC to lead junior barrister and future federal Treasurer

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia ...

to represent Confectionery Manufacturers of Australia in the Dollar Sweets case. Kroger currently has an estranged relationship with Costello. From 1987 to 1992, Kroger served as president of the

. He instituted a series of reforms, including a move to increase the power of the party executive in pre-selections. From the 1990s the Victorian Liberal Party was heavily factionalised. In 1993, Kroger established JT Campbell & Co. Although described as a "merchant bank", JT Campbell & Co attracted media ridicule for its minimal volume of banking and investment activity. From 1998 to 2003, he served as a director of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, which he has considered to be a "cultural battleground". From 2015 to 2018, Kroger served again as president of the Victorian Liberal Party. Kroger's second term was characterised by branch stacking within the party, public fallout surrounding the misuse of public funds by former State Director Damien Mantach, and his legal action against the Cormack Foundation, the party's largest donor. Although Kroger vowed reform following the

2014 Victorian state election The 2014 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 29 November 2014, was for the 58th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council were up for election. The incum ...

, the Coalition suffered a landslide defeat in the

2018 Victorian state election Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...

. Subsequently, Kroger resigned as State President of the Liberal Party on 30 November 2018. Now no longer active in day-to-day party politics, Kroger frequently appears on

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

Legacy

A self-described "power broker", Kroger is considered a divisive member of the Victorian Liberal Party, and has been criticised by former Premiers

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, servi ...

and

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...

as such.

Personal life

Kroger's first wife was Helen Kroger, who after their divorce became a Senator for Victoria. Kroger then married Ann Peacock, daughter of former leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

Andrew Peacock Andrew Sharp Peacock (13 February 193916 April 2021) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions (1983–1985 and 1989–1990), leading the par ...

and socialite

Susan Renouf Susan, Lady Renouf (''née'' Rossiter; 15 July 1942 – 15 July 2016) was an Australian socialite. Her title was acquired through her third marriage to New Zealand businessman Sir Frank Renouf. Early life Renouf was born Susan Rossiter in Melb ...

. They separated in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroger, Michael 1957 births Living people Australian financial businesspeople Businesspeople from Melbourne Australian people of German descent Place of birth missing (living people) People educated at Wesley College (Victoria) Monash Law School alumni Board members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation