Des Houghton: Labor’s toxic culture shows no signs of abating

Queenslanders should be incensed that the Palaszczuk Government continues to show no interest in fixing its integrity crisis, writes Des Houghton.

Ousted state archivist Mike Summerell said the investigations into the government integrity failures he exposed have so far been a whitewash.

And he is right.

Summerell also told me that senior staff in the State Government should be ashamed for not coming forward to report wrongdoing. Right again.

“For those who remained silent or who actively sought to hide the reality of these matters, I would simply say you should be ashamed,” he told me.

“You know the truth. In many ways you are perhaps the biggest problem. Your silence enables this behaviour, and your silence will ensure it continues.”

The integrity crisis continued in parliament this week with Labor ministers refusing to answer questions on a range of vexing issues.

Summerell has always been apolitical in his work for this state. He told me he felt it was his duty to speak out.

Summerell also revealed he had been contacted by Professor Peter Coaldrake who is conducting an independent review into the State Government culture and accountability. But they had not spoken.

Coaldrake will have his work cut out.

It’s worth remembering that in February Summerell accused the Palaszczuk Government of misleading parliament by falsifying his annual reports to hide “bad news” saying he was “explicitly” ordered to remove any mention of Transport Minister Mark Bailey and the Mangocube scandal.

In the same month he accused Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman of misleading Queensland for suggesting he should have raised his concerns sooner.

“They were raised constantly for four years. I tried every legitimate option open to me,” he said.

Former state archivist Mike Summerell.

He also accused “scumbags” inside the “toxic” Palaszczuk government of attempting to dig dirt to blacken his name.

This week he attacked Labor government inaction.

“I have already provided my thoughts on the whitewash which was the investigation into the annual report interference. I expected nothing else,’’ he told me.

“People can make their own minds up on these matters and of course my report into Minister Bailey.

“From my perspective I endured three years of constant attempts to interfere with my statutory role in maintaining the integrity of the public record in Queensland.

“The integrity of the public record is vital for a healthy democracy and for a trustworthy and accountable public administration.

“There are significant issues undermining the integrity of public records in Queensland and this government has no interest whatsoever in addressing them. It seems more focused on exploiting them and assuming the public of Queensland don’t actually care what they do.”

He said Queenslanders “should demand better”.

“My attempts over many years to address the issues simply were ignored and undermined,” he said.

“Ultimately, I paid the price for those efforts with the non- renewal of my contract.

“In the end people get the government they deserve and if they are willing to accept these actions and behaviours then they will indeed get the government they deserve.

“My conscience is clear. I raised these issues at great personal cost. I really could have done no more in terms of exposing the reality of the system.’’’

He feared many in government – and outside – seemed to accept unethical and unlawful behaviour.

Summerell accused Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman of misleading Queensland for suggesting he should have raised his concerns sooner. NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“If they are willing to accept (wrongdoing) that’s really their call. I personally did my duty and I think I went beyond what would have been expected.

“My conscience is clear. I know that can’t be the same for many others. I truly hope the guilt they should feel torments them.

“I greatly appreciated the support of the few that spoke up to support me and I greatly appreciated the efforts of the CCC and the many journalists who pursued these matters and continue to do so.’’

Maintaining an accurate public record was vital “to ensure that those elected or employed to serve the public are held accountable by that public’’.

He added: “If the public of Queensland is willing to let the government hide things from them with no consequence, then they will essentially get exactly the government they deserve.’’

Alas, Summerell may be right.

I have a hunch the public – and some media organisations – seem to have lost interest in stories relating to dishonesty, misconduct and unethical and unlawful behaviour in the Palaszczuk government.

The charade continued again this week in parliament where government ministers bent over backwards not to answer questions on a range of integrity issues.

Chief offender in my judgment was Shannon Fentiman who point blank refused to answer legitimate questions about Jackie Trad and whose hectoring responses to questions made her sound to me just like Labor’s “mean girls” in the Senate.

Fentiman refused to say how much taxpayer money was going in legal costs to assist former deputy premier Jackie Trad’s court action to suppress a Crime and Corruption Commission report.

Then Fentiman would not tell the House what questions her staff asked the Crown Law office when seeking advice on whether former CCC boss Alan MacSporran could be sacked.

Fentiman elected to keep the advice secret claiming the correspondence was classed as legal professional privilege.

Member for Burleigh Michael Hart had no luck asking Housing Minister Mick de Brenni if he in any way inhibited the work of Summerell when he was investigating the use of private emails by other ministers.

Incredibly, the question was ruled out of order.

Then the Premier repeatedly dodged questions about how much taxpayers are funding to maintain empty quarantine hotels.

Secrecy rules.

Des Houghton is a media consultant and a former editor of The Courier-Mail, the Sunday Mail, the Sunday Sun and the Gold Coast Sun