He was a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the electorate of Dandenong for the Labor Party.
During the Bracks Government, he was a member of Cabinet, serving as Minister for Major Projects, Employment, Tourism, Gaming and Racing.
[2] While the Labor Party was in Opposition from 1992–1999, he was appointed to a number of key roles, such as Shadow Minister for Freedom of Information and Tourism.
He was dropped from Cabinet after the 2006 Victorian election, and has since served as Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
On 26 November 2013, Pandazopoulos announced he would not contest the 2014 state election, and would be retiring from politics.