He was born in Box Hill to Athol Percival Jolly, a store manager, and Marjorie Melba.
From 1968 to 1970 he was a senior teaching fellow at Monash University's economics department, and in 1971 was employed as a senior research officer with the Commonwealth Department of Labour and National Service's social policy section.
He lectured in economics at Swinburne Institute of Technology in 1972, after which he worked as a research officer and industrial advocate for the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
In 1979 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Dandenong, moving to Doveton in 1985.
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