He is the author of three books and numerous articles on political theory and philosophy, especially in the areas of multiculturalism and social justice.
He migrated to Australia at the age of eight, with his mother, brother Theo Theophanous and sister; his father had arrived three years earlier.
He grew up in Broadmeadows in Melbourne, entered Monash University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours.
In one of these reports, 'Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian System: Achieving a Balance between Refuge and Control (1992)', Theophanous strongly supported granting permanent residence to 45,000 Chinese students and their dependents, who had been in Australia at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China.
As Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, his main role was the promotion of the Access and Equity program within the Federal government departments.
During this period as an independent, he initiated a number of parliamentary motions on immigration, refugees, multicultural affairs and human rights.
He polled 9.6% of the vote, with the support of the Unity Party, but the seat was won by the new Labor candidate and former staffer, Maria Vamvakinou.
His barrister, Stephen Shirrefs SC, successfully appealed the conviction for conspiracy to defraud which resulted in the Supreme Court of Victoria quashing this major charge.
In her ruling of July 2006, in the County Court of Victoria, Judge Jeanette Morrish dismissed and permanently stayed the conspiracy charge.
She said that Theophanous should not be retried on the charge to defraud the Commonwealth because the former National Crime Authority had withheld evidence crucial to his original case and subsequent appeal.
As a result of the findings of Judge Morrish, Theophanous applied to the Commonwealth Attorney-General for the Governor-General to grant a retrial on the three remaining convictions under the Royal prerogative of mercy process.