He was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1998 until 2010, representing the electorate of Braddon.
Kons was born in Melbourne to Greek immigrants who worked in heavy manual employment to help educate him at Caulfield Grammar School.
After the family moved to operate a Devonport business, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Tasmania before returning to Melbourne to practice mainly in the corporate sector.
He was again promoted to Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Planning and Workplace Relations following the 2006 state election.
[2] Kons resigned as Deputy Premier in April 2008 after admitting that he had made "inaccurate statements" to parliament regarding the appointment of a magistrate.