1. Adem Kubilay Somyurek was born on 25 September 1967 and is an Australian politician.
19 Facts About Adem Somyurek
1. 2.
Adem Somyurek has served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council currently representing the Northern Metropolitan Region.
3.
Adem Somyurek was Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade in the First Andrews Ministry from 2014 to 2015.
4.
Adem Somyurek then served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Small Business in the Second Andrews Ministry from 2018 to 2020.
5.
In June 2020, Adem Somyurek became the subject of major corruption allegations including branch stacking during the 48th Victorian Parliament.
6.
Adem Somyurek holds a Master of Arts in Policy and Politics, a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Sociology and an Associate Diploma in Business Studies.
7.
Adem Somyurek first entered parliament after winning the Legislative Council province of Eumemmerring at the 2002 election.
8.
Adem Somyurek made his inaugural speech to the Victorian Legislative Council as the new member for Eumemmerring on 27 February 2003.
9.
Adem Somyurek was elected in the 2010 and 2014 State elections.
10.
Adem Somyurek stood down from his ministerial role in May 2015 following allegations from his chief of staff, Dimity Paul, of bullying, and later resigned on 28 July 2015 after an investigation by the Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet made adverse findings against him.
11.
At the 2018 Victorian election Adem Somyurek was returned to his seat in the Upper House.
12.
On 27 November 2018 Premier Daniel Andrews announced that Adem Somyurek would be rejoining the Cabinet in the new Andrews Ministry.
13.
On 29 November 2018 it was revealed that Adem Somyurek was to handle the portfolios of Local Government and Small Business within the re-elected Andrews Government.
14.
When Local Government Minister, Adem Somyurek legislated "single-member" wards on local councils to take full effect in municipal elections in 2024.
15.
On 14 June 2020, The Age and Nine Network published covert recordings purporting to show Adem Somyurek organising branch stacking.
16.
Later that day, the Labor Party's national president, Wayne Swan, confirmed that Adem Somyurek had resigned his membership before he was to be expelled.
17.
Adem Somyurek was a target of Operation Watts, an investigation by Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Ombudsman.
18.
The report found that Adem Somyurek had misused publicly funded staff, including by engaging them in branch stacking.
19.
In November 2022, Adem Somyurek announced he had joined the Democratic Labour Party, and ran as a candidate for that party in the Northern Metropolitan Region for the Legislative Council.