Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
No compo for sacked Ipswich councillors
The Queensland government has rejected suggestions Ipswich councillors not accused of wrongdoing should be compensated when the council is dissolved.
August 8, 2018
Ipswich city councillors won’t receive payouts when they are sacked, the Queensland government says.
There are no provisions within the law that would allow sacked councillors to get payouts despite protests those not facing corruption charges should be compensated, Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said.
The government will introduce special legislation to sack the Ipswich council after 15 people linked to the local government were charged with dozens of corruption and related offences.
Long-serving Ipswich councillor Paul Tully has previously insisted councillors not accused of wrongdoing should be paid out for the remainder of their term, due to finish in 2020.
His calls were backed by Queensland’s local government association in a submission to parliament last month.
The association’s chief executive Greg Hallam says councillors would be denied natural justice if the bill passes and they should be compensated.
It follows Ipswich councillors fighting a legal battle against the move to dissolve the council, with the state then drafting laws to remove it.
That has sparked a backlash from within legal circles, with the Queensland Law Society labelling the changes “dangerous” and “unjust.”
A court ruled last month the state government must pay council’s legal costs for the challenge, which come to about $100,000.