James Pearce Turnour (born 7 April 1966) is a former Australian politician. He represented the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

seat of

Leichhardt Leichhardt may refer to: * Division of Leichhardt, electoral District for the Australian House of Representatives * Leichhardt Highway, a highway of Queensland, Australia * Leichhardt Way, an Australian road route * Leichhardt, New South Wales, inn ...

in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 2007 to 2010, as a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(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 Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

. He is the third of four children born to Joan () and John Turnour; his mother was a

Ten Pound Pom Ten Pound Poms (or Ten Pound tourists) is a colloquial term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe British citizens who migrated to Australia and New Zealand after the Second World War. The Government of Australia initiated the Assisted ...

. He grew up on his parents' mixed farming property at

Coomalie Creek Coomalie Creek Airfield was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield built in 1942 in what is now the locality of Coomalie Creek, Northern Territory, Australia during World War II. The airfield fell into disuse after the war ended. Since pur ...

. Turnour boarded at

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

. He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Bachelor of Economics from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. 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 Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005–06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March 2006, and wa ...

Politics

Turnour won Leichhardt at the 2007 election on a swing of 14 percent, the largest in the country. It was actually his second bid for the seat; he challenged

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

incumbent

Warren Entsch Warren George Entsch is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007 and since 2010, representing the Division of Leichhardt. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and sit ...

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. He currently manages a large-scale project for the

Queensland Department of Primary Industries The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a department of the Queensland Government which aims to maximise the economic potential for Queensland's primary industries on a sustainable basis through strategic industrial development. The sec ...

, helping farmers recover after

and has worked for Senator Jan McLucas in the past.The Poll Bludger
/ref>

Subsequent activities

Jim Turnour is on the committee of Northern Beaches Landcare and the

Trinity Inlet The Trinity Inlet is an oceanic inlet which serves as the port for the city of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The city centre is on the western bank where the inlet meets the Coral Sea. Location and features The Trinity Inlet is located in the ...

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:Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives - Members
/ref> *Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 19.2.08; *Economics from 19.2.08. Joint Standing: *National Capital and External Territories from 18.2.08.

Personal life

Turnour lives in Smithfield with his wife Tiffany, whom he met teaching children to sail at the Cairns Yacht Club, and daughter Zoe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnour, Jim Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Living people 1966 births Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Leichhardt Members of the Australian House of Representatives University of Queensland alumni 21st-century Australian politicians Australian people of British descent People from the Northern Territory Public servants of Queensland People educated at Brisbane Grammar School