[1] He left office abruptly after his preferred premier rating fell to 17%, largely as a result of perceptions of corruption in his government's fast-tracked approval of the Gunns Bell Bay Pulp Mill proposal, which had effectively bypassed normal planning procedure.
Born in Hobart, Lennon attended St Virgil's College (a Catholic school), then worked as a storeman and clerk before becoming an organiser with the Storemen and Packers Union in 1978.
He was Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Workplace Standards, Workers' Compensation, Public Sector Management, Forests, Mines, Racing and Gaming, and Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly.
Both Lennon's Labor government and the State Opposition were much censured for their close ties with the logging company Gunns Limited, not least over the drafting of new legislation.
[5] Mr Lennon refused to fully disclose the amount paid for the services provided by Hinman Wright and Manser, a large-scale civil construction firm not traditionally associated with residential home renovations.
[6] While no impropriety was officially found or prosecuted, the fact the renovations happened in such close proximity of time with Gunns negotiations with the Tasmanian Government in relation to a $2 billion Pulp Mill, aroused serious public suspicions.
[10] On 10 June 2008, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission announced that former school principal and taxi driver Ross Butler would replace Lennon in parliament, following a recount of preferences made at the previous election.