Cleeland was raised in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, earning a trade as a fitter and turner before joining the Victorian Police Force from 1961 to 1969.

He worked as a solicitor for a number of years, eventually establishing his own practice.

[2] In 1982 Cleeland unsuccessfully stood for election in the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Doncaster.

He achieved Labor Party preselection for the newly formed federal House of Representatives seat of McEwen, which he won in 1984.

The report recommended harm minimisation rather than criminalisation as a technique for managing illicit drug use.