Richard Wynne was born in 1955 and grew up in inner Melbourne.
He studied Social Work and Criminology at Melbourne University. After graduating he worked in community health on inner city public housing estates.
Richard then became an electorate officer for the then Upper House MP for Melbourne Province, subsequently serving as a policy adviser on housing and planning to two Ministers.
He then worked for the Deputy Prime Minister, Brian Howe, as a senior adviser on urban renewal and local government.
Richard was a Melbourne City Councillor for six years, serving one year as Lord Mayor in 1991.
Entering Parliament in 1999 as the State Member for Richmond, Richard was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Justice for the first term of the Bracks Labor Government. In 2002, Richard was appointed Cabinet Secretary. Richard was appointed Minister for Housing and Minister for Local Government in December 2006 and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in August 2007.
He and his wife Svetlana have two sons.