Di Thorley
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2016}}
Dianne "Di" Thorley {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 1 December 1949 in Stanthorpe, Queensland) is an Australian politician and a former mayor of Toowoomba, Queensland.
Biography
Thorley trained as a nurse in Brisbane and later took up a nursing position at Stanthorpe Hospital. She also spent some time working as a governess in Blackall. She moved to Toowoomba in 1986, where she worked and owned a number of businesses in the local hospitality industry.{{Cite web |title=Toowoomba City Council mayors |url=https://www.tr.qld.gov.au/our-region/history/notable-characters-mayors-council-history/11431-toowoomba-city-mayors |access-date=2025-01-22 |publisher=Toowoomba Region |language=en-gb}}{{Cite news |date=2007-08-04 |title=The inspire issue - Di Thorley |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/845427265 |access-date=2025-01-22 |work=The Australian |department=The Australian Magazine |page=031 |author1-first=Andrew |author1-last=Fraser |author2-first=Victoria |author2-last=Laurie |author3-first=Anne |author3-last=Lim |author4-first=Drew |author4-last=Warne-Smith |author5-first=Ashleigh |author5-last=Wilson |author6-first=Mike |author6-last=Safe|id={{ProQuest|845427265}} }}
Thorley was elected as a Councillor on Toowoomba City Council in 1997 and became mayor in 2000. She was returned to office for a second term in 2004.{{Cite news |last=Lawrence |first=Elissa |date=26 March 2000 |title=Thorley wins - voters turn against Bourke |work=The Courier-Mail |pages=1}}{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Leisa |date=2 September 2006 |title=Beaten but bloody well unbowed |department=QWeekend Magazine |work=The Courier-Mail |pages=12}}
On 26 June 2007, Thorley confirmed that she would not seek re-election for mayor in March 2008, or any other council position.{{Cite news |date=2007-06-26 |title=Water poll mayor to step aside |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-06-27/water-poll-mayor-to-step-aside/81944 |access-date=2025-01-24 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{Cite news |last=Gearing |first=Amanda |date=28 June 2007 |title=Manners enters campaign |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/353979357 |access-date=2025-01-24 |work=The Courier-Mail |pages=24 |language=en}}
Thorley spent time running The Lady Franklin Hotel in Franklin, Tasmania before returning to Queensland. In 2016, Thorley ran as an independent candidate in a by-election for the Electoral district of Toowoomba South in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.{{Cite news |last=McLeod |first=Penny |date=6 December 2008 |title=Water reformer taps into simple pub life |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/352937943 |access-date=2025-01-22 |work=The Mercury |department=Weekend |pages=B02|id={{ProQuest|352937943}} }}{{Cite news |last=Calcino |first=Chris |date=20 August 2011 |title=Former mayor Di is living her dream |work=The Chronicle |pages=15}}{{Cite news |last=Tin |first=Jason |date=13 July 2016 |title=Ex-mayor, LNP in by-election cliffhanger |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/toowoomba-south-byelection-exmayor-di-thorley-and-lnp-in-cliffhanger/news-story/25eff41197f0791599bc3adfbb226440 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920002236/http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/toowoomba-south-byelection-exmayor-di-thorley-and-lnp-in-cliffhanger/news-story/25eff41197f0791599bc3adfbb226440 |archive-date=20 September 2016 |access-date=2025-01-22 |work=The Courier-Mail |url-status=live }}
Toowoomba Water Futures
In light of the region's worst drought in a hundred years, which saw the city's dam storages fall below 25% capacity, in 2006 Mayor Di Thorley championed a plan (Toowoomba Water Futures) to build a recycled sewage plant that would process the city's sewage and use the resulting water for re-use.{{cite news |url=http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/toowoomba-recycled-water-poll-five-years-later/1066451/ |title=Recycled water poll: five years on |newspaper=The Toowoomba Chronicle |date=13 August 2011 |accessdate=21 August 2015 |archive-date=6 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606235658/http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/toowoomba-recycled-water-poll-five-years-later/1066451/ |url-status=dead }}
Because of health and public concerns, the recovered sewage water was to be pumped into one of the city's dams that provide drinking water, where it would be allowed to mix with rainwater collected by the dam, before being redrawn and retreated for distribution to homes. The project was controversial as the first of its kind to be proposed in Australia.
A referendum determining community support for the project was held on 29 July 2006 in which a majority (61.87% of voters) said "No" to the proposal.
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef|before = Tony Bourke}}
{{s-ttl|title = Mayor of Toowoomba
|years = 2000 – 2008}}
{{s-aft|after = Peter Taylor
as mayor of the
Toowoomba Regional Council}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorley, Dianne}}
Category:Women mayors of places in Queensland
Category:Queensland local councillors
Category:Women local councillors in Australia
Category:People from Stanthorpe, Queensland
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