 He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Eastern Metropolitan Region since 2002, and had previously held the role of Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade in the First Andrews Ministry from December 2014 to July 2015.In June 2020, Somyurek became the subject of major corruption allegations including branch stacking during the 48th Victorian Parliament.Born in 1967 in Izmir, Turkey, Somyurek moved to Australia with his parents when he was 18 months old.