From 2007 he was the Chair of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, and from February 2003 to December 2006 he was Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance.

The Liberals, in the person of Kennett, had held the seat since it was recreated in 1976, most recently by a margin of 10% at the state election less than two months previously.

[3] Early in his career, Stensholt had studied to be a Catholic priest, a matter the Liberal Party attempted to make some mileage out of during his by-election campaign.

[4] Since discontinuing his religious studies, he had primarily worked in various roles with the Australian Public Service in Canberra, most notably as Assistant Director-General of Australia's overseas aid program, AusAID.

Prior to being elected, he was working as a senior research fellow at Monash University and as an international development consultant.