Cairns deputy delivers extraordinary broadside at council mayor over use of public assets

Cairns Regional Council is in danger of becoming “another Townsville” following claims the Mayor Amy Eden misused ratepayer assets, a councillor says.

Cairns Regional Council mayor Amy Eden and suspended Townsville City Council mayor Troy Thompson. Picture: Brendan Radke/Shae Beplate

Cairns Regional Council is in danger of becoming “another Townsville” following claims the Mayor Amy Eden misused ratepayer assets, a councillor says.

But mayor has accused councillors of failing to put residents first, arguing that a unanimous vote to move her personal adviser, Gavin King, into a new role will limit her ability to advocate for Cairns.

As reported exclusively by the Cairns Post earlier this week, councillors voted unanimously on Wednesday in favour of shifting the mayor’s adviser into a position where he will guide strategy, policy and advocacy work for the entire council.

Cr Brett Olds is seen during the Special meeting on the 12th of April. Picture: Emily Barker.

The change means that Mr King will no longer sit outside the council’s corporate structure and enter a chain of command that leads to CEO Ken Gouldthorp, rather than Ms Eden.

The motion was prompted by the launch of the mayor’s promotional website for herself last week featuring the ‘Team Eden’ branding and colour scheme, with the assistance of Mr King.

Former Member for Cairns, Gavin King assisted Cairns mayor Amy Eden with her new promotional website in his role as her adviser. Picture: Anna Rogers

The use of Mr King to help create an “independent” site – which initially featured the council’s logo – was an abuse of public resources, deputy mayor Brett Olds said.

“The issue is not with the adviser roles, it’s not with the legislation,” he said.

“I’ll be very clear. The issue is you mayor Eden. The way you’ve mishandled the adviser.

“I don’t think the adviser role was ever created to make Facebook posts and build websites.”

Mayor Amy Eden's new website.

In a 10-minute address to councillors, the mayor said the city would suffer if she didn’t have her own adviser with the change leading to “psychosocial impacts” within the workplace.

“This is not in the best interest of our ratepayers,” she said. “Having access to an adviser is vital to support me and do the very best job that I can for the people of Cairns.”

Ms Eden's website originally featured Cairns Regional Council's logo on its pages. It has since been removed.

The mayor also disputed the adviser role had created a “misalignment” between adopted council objectives and the application of council resources.

“The position description for the role clearly states that the councillor adviser will work within the operating environment of the Cairns Regional Council,” she said.

“It will actively promote the vision and values as demonstrated through work style and ethics and act as a role model as a senior member of the organisation.”

Cairns Regional Council mayor Amy Eden and deputy mayor Brett Olds’ relationship has soured in recent months. Picture Emily Barker.

‘YOU WON’T LISTEN’

But in an extraordinary broadside, Mr Olds said repeated instances of poor governance and efforts to undermine her colleagues during her tenure had hurt the council’s standing.

“We have to hold you accountable … your actions have led to the (Department of) Local Government watching us,” he said.

“The OIA (Office of the Independent Assessor) is watching us, they’ve told us that.”

A spokesman for the local government watchdog said it couldn’t “confirm or deny” whether it had received complaints or was investigating matters related to Ms Eden.

“The OIA takes an active interest in local government matters and will often review council meetings across Queensland as part of our role,” the spokesman said.

Townsville City Council mayor Troy Thompson was suspended last November on full pay. An investigation is underway into whether Mr Thompson misled voters in relation to his military record. Picture: Shae Beplate.

The deputy mayor warned that Cairns faced a similar fate to Townsville City Council, where troubled mayor Troy Thompson was suspended last year, if Ms Eden wasn’t held to account.

“The federal government is watching us, the LGAQ (Local Government Association of Queensland) have told me they’re watching us, the state government is watching us because they don’t want us to become another Townsville,” he said during the meeting.

“I can guarantee you that no-one here wants us to become another Townsville either.

“We’re doing this publicly now because we’ve tried to do it behind closed doors and you won’t listen.”

Ken Gouldthorp has been formally endorsed as council's chief executive during a closed session at the Cairns Regional Council ordinary meeting on Wednesday, February 12. Picture: Brendan Radke

Chief executive Ken Gouldthorp said he held a meeting with Ms Eden and her adviser last week where he expressed concern about how ratepayers may perceive the website’s content.

“The focus of that meeting was the launch of a new website, the use of council branding on that website and the timing of the launch two days before a corporate planning exercise,” Mr Gouldthorp said.

“And the potential mixed messages from the launch with a mix of council’s endorsed actions and the individual actions and desires of the mayor.”

The mayor’s website is still active.

Originally published as Cairns deputy delivers extraordinary broadside at council mayor over use of public assets