Soorley was not expected to wrest the Lord Mayoralty from the very popular first female (and first Liberal Party) mayor of Brisbane.
Some of the changes in Brisbane Soorley has been credited with include allowing widespread footpath dining, introduction of the CityCat ferries, advancing the Busway system, building the Inner City Bypass, starting Brisbane Festival including the popular Riverfire fireworks and the River Feast, bringing all sewage treatment up to at least secondary treatment standards (with removal of nitrogen and phosphorus to additional standards), a citywide recycling program, gas CNG powered buses, starting air conditioning on buses, accelerating the purchase of "at risk" bushland, Implementing a system of long term re-habilitation for old municipal solid waste tips and a long-term plan to link riverfront land and open it up to the people of Brisbane through a series of pathways called Riverwalk.
Soorley also instituted a number of institutional changes including a 24/7 Call Centre; "business style" accounting for budgets and annual reporting, enterprise bargaining, significant changes to leave and other entitlements,[4] increased employment opportunities through increased apprenticeships, traineeships and community jobs programs, including a nationally awarded program for "at risk youth" who were recovering from drug addiction, as well as a shift from Brisbane Council being only concerned with "rates, roads, rubbish" to taking on issues such as drug use, homelessness, domestic violence and social justice.
In 1995, Soorley ended Brisbane's sister city relationship with the French Riviera town of Nice due to France's resumption of nuclear testing, a move which he described as a "symbolic protest.
[7] As of 2017, he is Chairman of Sunshine Coast water business Unitywater,[8] and a board member of government-owned electricity generation company CS Energy.