Ex-Brisbane lord mayor Jim Soorley in ‘lobbying’ claim
Influential Labor figure Jim Soorley allegedly agreed to lobby Palaszczuk Government ministers for a restaurant owner, who claims he paid the ex-Brisbane Lord Mayor thousands of dollars in cash in a carpark, according to court documents. Mr Soorley has addressed the claims.
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Influential Labor figure Jim Soorley allegedly agreed to lobby Palaszczuk Government ministers for a restaurant owner, who claims he paid the ex-Brisbane Lord Mayor $2500 cash in a carpark.
The allegations are levelled in documents lodged in the Brisbane Magistrates Court this week by seafood restaurant operator Neil Jedid, who claims Mr Soorley in 2018 promised to lobby Transport Minister Mark Bailey and then-Deputy Premier Jackie Trad over a lease.
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Mr Soorley was not a registered lobbyist at the time, according to the claim.
The court claim alleges Mr Soorley had told Mr Jedid that he was a registered lobbyist and would lobby Mr Bailey, Ms Trad and others in relation to the restaurant obtaining a long-term lease.
The Wilsons Boathouse restaurant had been seeking a longer lease over state-owned land it occupied overlooking the water in the Brisbane bayside suburb of Manly.
Mr Jedid, on behalf of entities who operate the restaurant, is seeking the return of $2500 – money he claims he handed Mr Soorley after he promised to carry out lobbying work.
Mr Soorley has denied claiming to be a lobbyist since he deregistered about four years ago and told the newspaper he had “done no lobbying” since that time.
The court claim alleges Mr Soorley met Mr Jedid at his restaurant twice in March 2018.
It alleges Mr Soorley on the first meeting “stated to Jedid words to the effect that he was, and would remain, a registered lobbyist in Queensland and could assist the plaintiff in securing a longer-term lease over the property,” the claim states.
Mr Soorley had allegedly used his phone to show Mr Jedid a Wikipedia page on him stating: “Soorley currently writes a weekly column for the Sunday Mail and is a registered lobbyist in Queensland,” according to the claim.
The claim alleges Mr Soorley orally agreed he would lobby Mr Bailey, Ms Trad and others in return for $2500 cash “which had to be paid before (Mr Soorley) travelled to Thailand.”
Mr Soorley is then alleged to have returned to the restaurant days later, where he is claimed to have met with Mr Jedid and another restaurant representative and handed the money.
“Jedid handed the $2500 cash to (Mr Soorley) whilst (Mr Soorley) was seated in his car which was parked in the carpark of the restaurant,” the court claim alleges.
The claim is seeking to recover the $2500 on the basis Mr Soorley engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct under Australian Consumer Law by allegedly incorrectly declaring he was a registered lobbyist, the claim states.
“But for the registered lobbyist representation, the plaintiff would not have made the cash payment or entered into the lobbying agreement,” the claim alleges.
Mr Soorley on Friday told the newspaper he had not been a registered lobbyist “for at least three years, probably four years” and “have never claimed to be a lobbyist” during that time.
He confirmed meeting with Mr Jedid, but refused to say why, saying: “I don’t discuss my business.”
“I have never claimed to be a lobbyist to Neil, who I met once,” he said of Mr Jedid.
“And I have never done any lobbying since I came off the lobbyist register.”
Asked if he had contacted Ms Trad about the restaurant, Mr Soorley said: “So don’t you listen, and I’m taping this conversation, I have never claimed to be a lobbyist since I stopped being a lobbyist. And I never told him (Mr Jedid) I was a lobbyist.”
Mr Jedid had held a fixed short-term lease over the Manly property from the State of Queensland, represented by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, between December 2013-June 2014, which then continued as a month-by-month lease.
Ms Trad yesterday said the only person to raise the matter with her was Mr Jedid himself at an event in mid-2018 and she was “not lobbied on this matter by anyone.”
“It was clear to me that Mr Jedid’s complaint was about a matter outside my ministerial responsibilities and I removed myself from the conversation,” she said.
Under Queensland’s Integrity Act, an entity that is not a registered lobbyist must not carry out a lobbying activity for a third party client, and a Government representative must not knowingly permit an entity that is not a registered lobbyist to carry out a lobbying activity with them.
Queensland’s lobbying contact register shows no entries for Mr Soorley after 2013, with Mr Soorley appearing to have deregistered his lobbying entity sometime in about 2015.
Queensland Integrity Commission Nikola Stepanov refused to provide details of the dates Mr Soorley was registered as a lobbyist, despite her office holding responsibility for the register.
“In general my position is that I do not divert public resources for the purpose of private research or private investigations,” she said in response to the newspaper’s request for information.
“Your queries relate to alleged historical facts or matters before my appointment as Commissioner, and have no apparent current relevance to the lobbying provisions of the Act.”
Mr Soorley is a former Roman Catholic Priest who served as Lord Mayor from 1991-2003.
He previously represented clients including developers Stockland, Devine and miner Adani Coal before he deregistered as a lobbyist.
Mr Soorley remains well-connected in Labor and is known to be a continuing supporter of Ms Trad, who resigned from her ministerial duties in May this year during an investigation into school principal recruitment scandal.