PROFILE – CHRISTOPHER FOLEY MP

 

Chris Foley spent seventeen years establishing and working as a Senior Partner in an Accountancy and Financial Planning Practice. During this time he also lectured for groups as diverse as the University of Southern Queensland and the Department of Primary Industries speaking on topics such as Applied Economics and Off-Farm Investments.

 

For sixteen years, Chris presented a daily radio program for the ABC called “Money Tips” which was eventually syndicated on three Radio networks. For twelve months Chris was also the weekly Finance Editor/Presenter on a daily television program called “Queensland Today” which was shown state-wide on the 7 Network.

 

Chris and his wife Glenys have been happily married for 26 years, and they are the parents of six children. In his early days Chris was also an award winning Gospel music artist having recorded three albums and toured throughout Australia and overseas full time for eight years. Chris is mentioned in the 5^th Edition of the Who’s Who of Australian Rock. Chris is also an audio engineer, with many production awards to his credit.

 

In April 2003 Chris won a by-election to become the Independent State Member for Maryborough in the Queensland Parliament. Maryborough had always been a tightly contested seat and the previous member had only held the seat by a margin of 0.5%. When the dust had settled Chris had increased the winning margin to 7.2% effectively making it a safe Independent seat. When Chris stood for re-election in February 2004 he won the seat with a margin of almost 18%. In the September 2006 election, Chris gained a massive 82.73% of the vote on a two party preferred basis. The seat of Maryborough is now the safest seat in Queensland by a margin of almost 33%. To go from a 0.5% to 33% margin in 3 and a half years is the biggest increase in winning margin in the history of the Queensland Parliament. Chris’ win in the 2006 election was also the biggest win in Queensland in 32 years and the second highest win recorded in Parliamentary history, only bettered by Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen in 1974, by half a percent. Since October 2006, Chris has also been the Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Travelsafe Committee and a member of the Parliamentary Health Quality and Complaints Commission Committee since May 2007.

 

In his “spare time” he is a private pilot, and an internationally travelled 6^th Dan Black Belt Ju-Jitsu Instructor. He is also the Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, which he founded, now in it’s 9^th year.

 

Mr Chris Foley MP

Website: www.chrisfoley.com.au   Email: maryborough@parliament.qld.gov.au

Ph: (07) 4122 2277                        Fax: (07) 4122 1980

Address:     Shop 1 Comet Place

                   133 Lennox Street

                   MARYBOROUGH  QLD  4650