Council financial mismanagement and failed governance

Eligibility - Queensland residents
Principal Petitioner:
Frederick James
6 Shaw Road
O'BRIENS HILL QLD 4860
Total Signatures - 772
Sponsoring Member: The Clerk of the Parliament
Posting Date: 7/12/2021
Closing Date: 20/2/2022
Tabled Date: 22/2/2022
Responded By: Hon Dr Steven Miles MP on 25/3/2022
TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that on 14 October 2021 the Mayor of the Cassowary Coast Council made a statement correcting previous statements made in relation expenditure relating to a defamation case initiated in 2017 between the Council’s recently retired CEO James Gott and two Cassowary Coast ratepayers. On 7 December 2017 Council resolved to indemnify Mr Gott for the costs of his legal representation the defamation proceedings.

The Mayor acknowledged that previous statements and comments made by some current and previous Councillors and staff about this matter between September 2019 to October 2021 claiming insurer LGM/JLT/LGAQ were funding relevant legal matters without cost to ratepayers were inaccurate. It is now clear that the Council’s insurers are not covering the defamation action, as there is no insurance cover the action, only insurance coverage for any counterclaim.

It is clear that Council has been concealing the truth and the use of public money from ratepayers since 2019. Council Annual Reports reveal it has spent in excess of $4m in legal fees since 2016, which while this is the sum all legal matters across all jurisdictions, far exceeds Council’s pre-2016 spending on legal fees. Queensland residents have no confidence in the financial management, or governance from Cassowary Coast Regional Council.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all in its power to ensure the appointment of a financial controller to the Cassowary Coast Regional Council pursuant to section 118(2) of the Local Government Act Queensland 2009.