Findings of no criminality welcomed

Published: 24th January 2020

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has welcomed the Crime and Corruption Commission's findings of no criminality following its investigation into Gold Coast City Council.

LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam said it was now time to move the agenda on.

"We need to find a balance between continual investigation and review and enabling councils to get on with the job they were given to do by mandate of their communities," he said.

"We already have a Department of Local Government, an Ombudsman, an Auditor-General and an Office of the Independent Assessor, all with significant powers to oversee administrative matters.

"There should be no need for a fifth body in the CCC to also pass judgment on areas of local government administration that are beyond what the watchdog is resourced to consider.

"The ultimate arbiters of performance and integrity, the people, will have their say when they cast their vote at the council elections on March 28.

"They expect their councillors to do their job. They do not want them drowning in oversight."

A recent survey conducted for the LGAQ by international research firm Colmar Brunton revealed Queenslanders were increasingly more satisfied with their local councils and believed they were far more trustworthy than their Federal and State counterparts.

"At an overarching level, the key drivers of community satisfaction towards local councils is driven by: a focus on infrastructure and economic development of their regions; trust in local council to work hard and do the right thing for their communities; and a perception that local council transparent and getting on with the job," Colmar Brunton's findings stated.