[2] In 1883, Maloney joined two young Australian artists, Tom Roberts and John Peter Russell, on a walking tour of France and Spain.

[1] He established a medical practice in North Melbourne the following year and continued to practise medicine after his election to parliament, being nicknamed "the Little Doctor".

In around 1896 he established the North Melbourne District Medical Club at the Queen Victoria Market, where he treated low-income patients.

He came into conflict with professional bodies on a number of occasions, including for his advertising materials, his promotion of "electric healing", and his support for birth control.

[2] Elected to the Victorian colonial Legislative Assembly as the Member for West Melbourne in April 1889,[1] Maloney showed his radical nature by introducing one of the first Bills advocating women's suffrage in the British Empire.

Maloney resigned from the Assembly in November 1903[1] to stand for the Division of Melbourne at the 1903 federal election, narrowly losing to the opposing Protectionist Party candidate Malcolm McEacharn.

Maloney picked up a large swing in his bid for a full term in 1906, and was comfortably returned in subsequent elections as Melbourne became one of Labor's safest seats.

In September 1907, Maloney accused Liberal MP John Forrest of attempting to lower the age of consent from 14 to 12 during his time as premier of Western Australia.

[7] The issue was revived in 1909 when another Labor MP William Webster drew attention to the fact that the exchange had not been recorded by Hansard, apparently due to an agreement between Maloney, Forrest, Alfred Deakin, and Speaker Sir Frederick Holder.