Lindsay Tanner, representing the Australian Labor Party, was elected as federal member for the seat of Melbourne in 1993. He held this seat until his retirement from federal politics in August 2010. From 2007 to 2010, Tanner was the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. After leaving the Australian Parliament, Tanner took up work as a special advisor to Lazard, a financial advisory and asset management firm, and also held the position of Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at Victoria University.

Tanner's book on politics, Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy, was published in 2011. It was longlisted for the 2011 John Button Prize and shortlisted for the 2011 Queensland Premier's Literary Award, Literary or Media work Advancing Public Debate.