Jim Turnour

Jim Turnour
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Leichhardt
In office
24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010
Preceded byWarren Entsch
Succeeded byWarren Entsch
Personal details
Born (1966-04-07) 7 April 1966 (age 58)
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationPublic servant
WebsiteJimTurnour.com.au

James Pearce Turnour (born 7 April 1966) is an Australian former politician. He represented the Queensland seat of Leichhardt in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2010, as a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was a public servant in Queensland's agriculture department prior to entering parliament.

Early life

Turnour was born on 7 April 1966 in Darwin, Northern Territory.[1] He is the third of four children born to Joan (née Pearce) and John Turnour; his mother was a Ten Pound Pom. He grew up on his parents' mixed farming property at Coomalie Creek.[2]

Turnour boarded at Brisbane Grammar School.[2] He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland.[1] Prior to entering parliament he worked for Queensland's Department of Primary Industries for 20 years and also as an agricultural consultant. He managed Operation Farm Clear, a program assisting farmers in recovery from Cyclone Larry.[2]

Politics

Turnour won Leichhardt at the 2007 election on a swing of 14 percent, the largest in the country.[3] It was actually his second bid for the seat; he challenged Liberal incumbent Warren Entsch in 2004 and was heavily defeated. Entsch retired in 2007. He held Leichhardt on a seemingly safe majority of 10 percent, but Turnour rode a large Labor wave to take the seat. He lost to Entsch in 2010.[4]

He currently manages a large-scale project for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, helping farmers recover after Cyclone Larry and has worked for Senator Jan McLucas in the past.[5]

Subsequent activities

Jim Turnour is on the committee of Northern Beaches Landcare and the Trinity Inlet Catchment Management Association. He is also a member of SPEED (Southern Parents Empowering Early Development), Cairns and District Chinese Association, Cairns Yacht Club, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre and is a guest presenter on Cairns Community Radio.

Federal Committee Service

House of Representatives Standing:[6]

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 19.2.08;
  • Economics from 19.2.08.

Joint Standing:[6]

  • National Capital and External Territories from 18.2.08.

References

  1. ^ a b "Mr Jim Turnour MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Maiden speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  3. ^ The Cairns Post
  4. ^ "Australian Votes 2010: Leichhardt(Key Seat)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010. Warren Entsch 54.2% vs. Jim Turnour 45.8%
  5. ^ The Poll Bludger
  6. ^ a b Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives - Members
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Leichhardt
2007–2010 		Succeeded by