Jim Turnour

Jim Turnour is a Principal Strategic Regional Planner at The Cairns Institute, James Cook University where he works with regional and First Nations communities supporting place-based approaches to local challenges.

Prior to this he spent a decade working as a Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Aboriginal Corporations in Cape York Peninsula. He is a Director of Cape York NRM and Committee Member of the Cairns and District Chinese Association.

Jim was the Member for Leichhardt in the Australian Parliament between 2007 and 2010 representing communities including Cairns, the Douglas Shire, Cape York and the Torres Strait in the Rudd and Gillard Governments. He served on the House Economics, Indigenous Affairs and National Capital and Territories Parliamentary Committees and was Chair of the Labor Caucus Infrastructure Committee. He started his career as an agronomist and extension officer working predominantly for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries in Central and Far North Queensland.

Jim has a PhD (Economics) from James Cook University and degrees in Agriculture Science and Economics from the University of Queensland.