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Jim Soorley | |
|---|---|
| 13thLord Mayor of Brisbane | |
| In office 30 March 1991 – 30 May 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Sallyanne Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Tim Quinn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Gerard Soorley (1951-04-08)8 April 1951 (age 74) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University Loyola University Chicago |
James Gerard Soorley (born 8 April 1951) is an Australian lobbyist and formerpolitician. He served asLaborLord Mayor of Brisbane from 1991 to 2003.[1] A laicised Catholic priest,[2] Soorley has aBachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology, fromMacquarie University, and aMaster of Arts inorganisational psychology fromLoyola University Chicago.[citation needed]
The 1991 election was a close election with Soorley just edging out then-Lord Mayor of Brisbane,Sallyanne Atkinson[3] through the preferences ofDrew Hutton, theGreens candidate. Soorley was not expected to wrest the Lord Mayoralty from the very popular first female (and firstLiberal Party) mayor of Brisbane. The transition period between Atkinson's administration and the incoming Soorley administration was difficult, with the outgoing Atkinson refusing to believe she had lost the election for many weeks afterward.
Soorley also instituted a number of institutional changes including a 24/7Call Centre; "business style" accounting for budgets and annual reporting, enterprise bargaining, significant changes to leave and other entitlements,[4] increased employment opportunities through increased apprenticeships, traineeships and community jobs programs, including a nationally awarded program for "at risk youth" who were recovering from drug addiction, as well as a shift from Brisbane Council being only concerned with "rates, roads, rubbish" to taking on issues such as drug use, homelessness, domestic violence and social justice.
In 1995, Soorley ended Brisbane's sister city relationship with the French Riviera town of Nice due to France's resumption of nuclear testing, a move which he described as a "symbolic protest."[5][6]
Soorley currently writes a weekly column forThe Sunday Mail and is a registered lobbyist in Queensland.[7] As of 2017, he is Chairman of Sunshine Coast water business Unitywater,[8] and a board member of government-owned electricity generation companyCS Energy.[9]
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Mayor of Brisbane 1991–2003 | Succeeded by |