Evan William Thornley (born 1964), former Australian politician and entrepreneur, was a Labor member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Southern Metropolitan Region. He was a founder (with his wife, Tracey Ellery) and former Chairman and CEO of internet search company Looksmart Ltd.
Thornley attended Scotch College is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, completing a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws in 1991 after starting University in 1983. From 1991 to 1995 he was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, a management consultancy firm.
Thornley is Chair of Per Capita and National Secretary of the Australian Fabian Society. He is a board member of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Chifley Research Centre, was a founding director of GetUp!, and a founding officer of the National Union of Students.
Elected to the Parliament of Victoria in 2006, he served as Parliamentary Secretary assisting the Premier on the National Reform Agenda and Innovation until his resignation on 31 December 2008. He was the richest member of the Victorian Parliament, with a net worth estimated at $54 million. He is a noted donor to various progressive causes, including the Australian Labor Party. He owns grazing property in western Victoria and four investment properties in Melbourne, Queensland and New South Wales, as well as a residence in Kew.[1]
On 28 December 2008, Thornley announced that he would resign from the Victorian Parliament after speculation that he would be chosen to serve in the Cabinet of John Brumby's government.[2] His resignation was received angrily by some Labor colleagues who thought his decision "insulting" and a "disgrace."[3] He has been appointed as the CEO of Australian operations for Better Place, an electric car company[4]
A joint sitting of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament will be required to select a new Member to fill the vacancy caused by Thornley's resignation - the first casual vacancy to occur since the reform of the Upper House in 2006. As is the case in the Australian Senate, if the vacating Member was elected as a member of a political party, the joint sitting must select a person nominated by that political party.[5] On 30 January 2009, it was announced that Melbourne lawyer Jennifer Huppert would be nominated by the ALP to fill the upper house vacancy.[6]