Bellevue Ward Councillor

Cr Jim Parke was elected to represent Bellevue Ward in October 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He was Mayor in 2015 to 2016 and 2017 to 2018 and previously chaired the (then) Urban Planning Special Committee in 2014 to 2015, 2016 to 2017 and 2020 to 2021.

After 15 years' service as a councillor, Jim Parke was awarded a certificate of outstanding service by the Municipal Association of Victoria in October 2020. Cr Parke has also served 2 terms on the Toowoomba City Council in Queensland.

Cr Jim Parke is a lawyer and certified practising accountant. He is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law (by the Law Institute of Victoria) and holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from Queensland University of Technology, a Master of Jurisprudence from Bond University, a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia and a Graduate Diploma in Management from Swinburne University of Technology. In addition, he holds an Advanced Diploma in Work Health and Safety, a Diploma of Security and Risk Management, a Diploma of Training and Assessment and a Diploma of Quality Auditing. He is currently completing a Master of Science degree at the University of Oxford.

Cr Parke served as a community member of the Adult Parole Board of Victoria from 2014 to 2017. Strongly community-minded, Jim Parke was the first ever Australian to hold the office of president of Crime Stoppers International. He has also served as chairman of Crime Stoppers Australia, chairman of Crime Stoppers Queensland, president of the Victims of Crime Association of Queensland. 

He also served as deputy chairman of Volunteering Australia and is a past president of the Victorian division of the Institute of Mercantile Agents. Cr Parke is a former patron of the Camberwell Historical Society.

Council committees

• CEO Employment and Remuneration Committee
• Services Delegated Committee
• Urban Planning Delegated Committee
• Audit and Risk Committee
• Kew Recreation Centre Steering Committee 
• Civic Awards Assessment Panel
• Transforming Boroondara Steering Committee

External advisory committees

• Boroondara Community Strengthening Grants Review Panel

Memberships and associations

• Fellow, CPA Australia
• Fellow, Institute of Financial Accountants
• Fellow, Institute of Public Accountants
• Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors
• Fellow, Australian Institute of Management
• Fellow, Chartered Governance Institute 
• Fellow, Financial Services Institute of Australasia
• Fellow, Governance Institute of Australia
• Certified Member of the Australian Human Resources Institute
• Member, Australian College of Educators
• Member, Law Institute of Victoria
• Member, Planning Institute of Australia

Hobbies and interests

• Motor racing
• Pistol shooting
• History
• The arts
• Travel
• His German Shepherds, Kaiser and Xena