Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
Calls for Ipswich council compo backed

Innocent Ipswich city councillors who are about to be sacked amid a corruption scandal deserve compensation, Queensland’s local government association says.

July 27, 2018

Queensland’s local government association has backed calls to compensate Ipswich city councillors who are about to be sacked.

Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe is pursuing a bill to sack the entire council, amid a corruption scandal involving staffers and elected officials.

Veteran Ipswich councillor Paul Tully, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, says it is unfair and councillors should be compensated.

The Local Government Association of Queensland agrees, and has made its position clear in a submission to a parliamentary committee that’s examining the bill before it goes to parliament.

The association’s chief executive Greg Hallam says compensation should be paid to councillors, who would be denied natural justice if the bill passes.

“Because 10 of the 11 councillors haven’t been subject to an adverse finding or charge, they should be paid three months’ severance pay,” he told ABC radio on Friday.

“That is what state parliamentarians are paid if they lose office.”

Mr Hallam said the government should follow due process and use the show-cause notice process to deal with issues at the council, a process that was underway before the minister said he would pursue special powers to sack all councillors.

“People have to put themselves in the shoes of these councillors who have not had their day in court and have not had a charge levelled against them,” he said.

“It’s tough medicine, there’s no getting away from that.”

Mr Hallam said Ipswich ratepayers would ultimately foot the bill for any compensation paid to the councillors.

Earlier Mr Tully said councillors were being denied procedural fairness.

“Al Capone and the Boston Strangler were afforded greater legal rights than the 10 sitting councillors of the Ipswich City Council against whom no allegations or accusations have been made,” he wrote in a submission to a parliamentary committee examining the bill.

“In almost every jurisdiction, a worker dismissed without cause is entitled to fair compensation.”

A total of 15 people with council links are facing more than 70 corruption and related offences.

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