Opinion: Troy Thompson saga exposes the flaws in Queensland’s election laws

There is no mandatory background or resume fact-checking for mayoral candidates. Here’s why it’s time Queensland’s laws are changed to protect our cities, writes Cas Garvey. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson. Picture: Evan Morgan

When anyone wants to run for government on a state or federal level, it’s often a long and convoluted process to be endorsed by a political party.

Usually, most candidates from the major parties are put through a fairly thorough vetting process, where background checks and fact-checks on resumes are done, as is what they call “oppo research”, where all the skeletons in one’s closet are laid out on the table in case anyone in opposition wishes to use it against them.

Failure to disclose any parts of your background, whether it be criminal or a matter of integrity, often leads to the party disendorsing you in favour of someone with a cleaner history.

There is no such vetting process for Queensland local government candidates – and given the saga surrounding Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson, it’s high time the Local Government Act is changed.

Currently, to nominate as a mayor in Queensland, you must reside in the area you want to represent and appear on the electoral roll, you must not currently be bankrupt, on probation, parole or in prison nor a sitting MP or councillor in another state.

And you must not have a conviction for a treason, electoral, bribery or integrity offence.

That’s it.

There’s no mandatory background or resume fact-checking of those who put up their hands to run our city; which is how Mr Thompson ended up being given the mayoral robes and access pass to Walker St.

As we’ve previously reported, when Mr Thompson made a tilt for state government in 2020 he was disendorsed by One Nation after it came to light he failed to disclose his business insolvency, former bankruptcy and name change – all of which he didn’t have to do when running for mayor.

LNP leader and potential new premier David Crisafulli has called for an examination of the Act to find any flaws that saw Mr Thompson elected as Townsville’s mayor – and look at fixing them.

Queensland Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon, Premier Steven Miles and the Opposition leader have all said they would await the findings of the Crime and Corruption Commission probe into Mr Thompson before taking other measures.

But as we’ve reported in the past, they can and should use their powers now to force a mayoral by-election for the good of the city.

With the mayor’s recent unfounded claims of bribery and emailing a list of demands to his councillors with threats to ask Ms Scanlon to dissolve the entire council, it’s beyond clear that this council cannot function with Mr Thompson at the helm.

The Local Government Act currently states that a councillor may be removed if “the Minister reasonably believes that a councillor is incapable of performing their responsibilities” or “the Minister reasonably believes it is otherwise in the public interest that a councillor be suspended or dismissed”.

A mayor whom state and federal leaders are refusing to meet with to discuss the region’s future is the definition of being incapable of performing their responsibilities.

Many Townsville residents and ratepayers following the mayor’s saga would agree it’s very much in the public interest for the Minister to exercise her powers now and suspend the mayor until the outcome of the CCC investigation is known.

One can only hope this saga is not just a case study for future Queensland council elections but also results in a mayoral by-election where every candidate’s resume is properly fact-checked and green lit before voters get to the polling booths.

Townsville deserves better than simply being a political football or a warning flag for other councils in the future: We deserve intervention and rules changed now for the good of North Queensland’s future.

Cas Garvey is the Editor of the Townsville Bulletin.

Originally published as Opinion: Troy Thompson saga exposes the flaws in Queensland’s election laws