Dianne Thorley
Encyclopedia
Dianne "Di" Thorley is an Australia
n politician and a former mayor of Toowoomba
, Queensland
.
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.
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.
On the 26th of June 2007, Thorley confirmed that she would not seek re-election for mayor in March 2008, or any other council position. She has relocated to Franklin, Tasmania.
worst drought in a hundred years, which has seen the city's dam storages fall below 25% capacity, Cr 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.
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. The only other similar plant in existence is in Singapore which recycles 1% sewage water. The Water Futures project proposed recycling 25-29% for potable use.
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.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and a former mayor of Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Thorley trained as a nurse in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and later took up a nursing position at Stanthorpe Hospital. She also spent some time working as a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
in Blackall
Blackall, Queensland
-External links:*...
. She moved to Toowoomba in 1986, where she worked and owned a number of businesses in the local hospitality industry.
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.
On the 26th of June 2007, Thorley confirmed that she would not seek re-election for mayor in March 2008, or any other council position. She has relocated to Franklin, Tasmania.
Toowoomba Water Futures
In light of the region'sSouth East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
worst drought in a hundred years, which has seen the city's dam storages fall below 25% capacity, Cr 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.
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. The only other similar plant in existence is in Singapore which recycles 1% sewage water. The Water Futures project proposed recycling 25-29% for potable use.
A referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
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.