Des Houghton: Honest councillors fired in witch hunt deserve Premier’s apology

Misconduct in the Queensland Government was ignored while investigators overzealously targeted innocent councillors, writes Des Houghton. Surely it’s time for Steven Miles to do the right thing and apologise for this travesty of justice.

Surely it is time for Premier Steven Miles to do the right thing and apologise to the councillors from Logan and Ipswich who were improperly booted out of office in investigations described in Parliament as a travesty of justice.

The men and women from both councils deserve reasonable compensation for the stains on their character and the loss of at least two years’ income suffered when they were blocked by the Palaszczuk government from contesting the last civic elections.

The persecution of guiltless councillors, who through no fault of their own were swept up in criminal investigations that did not involve them, is one of the worst miscarriages of justice in the state’s history, in my opinion. And the persecution and humiliations continue for many of them.

Miles and his Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath can fix that without any electoral pain that I can see. And they should.

Seven Logan councillors charged with integrity offences by the Crime and Corruption Commission had their cases thrown out before they even went to trial.

But that was too late for the Logan seven. The charges meant they were ineligible to contest the council elections.

Ten innocent councillors in Ipswich probably got a worse deal. They were dumped in extraordinary circumstances without any charges being preferred against them.

Ipswich councillors on the day of their last meeting before the dismissal. David Morrison, Paul Tully, Kylie Stoneman, Kerry Silver, Wayne Wendt, Cheryl Bromage, David Martin, Charlie Pisasale, Sheila Ireland and David Pahlke.

It happened in August 2018 when Stirling Hinchliffe, who was local government minister, introduced legislation to sack the council after former mayor Paul Pisasale and his successor, Andrew Antoniolli, were charged.

Pisasale was jailed and Antoniolli, whose charges were headline news, was later acquitted on appeal.

Councillors dismissed without facing any charges were David Pahlke, David Morrison, Paul Tully, Sheila Ireland, Kerry Silver, Kylie Stoneman, Charlie Pisasale, Cheryl Bromage, David Martin and Wayne Wendt.

Pahlke, 71, who served on Moreton shire and Ipswich councils for 28 years, said the sacking was especially unjust and even opposed by the Queensland Law Society. The former telegram boy and postmaster said he and his colleagues were simply collateral damage in a wider criminal investigation that stretched beyond city hall. “We’re similar to Logan but different,” he said.

“We were never accused of any crimes. And they deserve compensation because they still had two years left on their term.’’

Cr Cheryl Bromage wipes away tears following the Ipswich City Council's final meeting at the Ipswich City Council Chambers in Ipswich, Monday, August 20, 2018. The Queensland government will on Tuesday introduce laws to sack the entire council and appoint administrators after a corruption probe saw 15 people, including two former mayors, charged with 86 offences. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

The axe fell on Ipswich after the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Operation Windage found evidence “of a wide spectrum of governance and integrity failures”.

“Procedures were either not followed, or were ignored or circumvented, including by councillors and senior executive employees, resulting in the misuse of council funds and assets,” the CCC said in a report to Parliament.

“The range of activities to which this applied included HR policies and decisions, community donations, travel, vehicle use and asset management. In many cases, the behaviour continued over a significant period of time but went unchallenged and unreported.”

As well as Pisasale, four others went to jail including council CEO Carl Wulff and his wife Sharon Oxenbridge, an outside council contractor, and a businessman.

Operation Windage also found evidence of “inappropriate workplace interactions” and “a lack of public confidence in the council as a whole”.

The report added: “The investigation also identified significant governance failures … which would not have occurred in an environment in which the values of transparency, accountability and good governance were paramount.”

However valid these observations may have been, they sound somewhat sanctimonious to me when measured against state government integrity failures with serious allegations of wrongdoing and a toxic public service. Yet the CCC has not laid a glove on anyone in the government that I can see, and this feeds public perceptions that our crime watchdog is soft on Labor.

Cr Paul Tully (left) is seen following the Ipswich City Council's final meeting at the Ipswich City Council Chambers in Ipswich, Monday, August 20, 2018. The Queensland government will on Tuesday introduce laws to sack the entire council and appoint administrators after a corruption probe saw 15 people, including two former mayors, charged with 86 offences. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

This point is not lost on ousted councillor David Morrison, one of the 10 not charged. He said the CCC seemed to have a set against local government with different standards applied to the transgressions of state public servants and cabinet ministers.

Morrison points to an integrity survey in which public servants reported hundreds of cases of wrongdoing to the CCC more than two years ago.

“All the things they accused us of they were guilty of themselves,” he said.

“Public servants spoke of stealing, favouritism, time sheet frauds – thousands of public servants saw corruption.

“Who is responsible for corruption? The State Government.”

Morrison also referred to the raid on the office of the Integrity Commissioner Nikola Stepanov, who said her laptop seized from her office had the contents “deleted without my knowledge or consent”.

At that time Parliament also heard State Archivist Mike Summerell had alleged serious interference and said he was forced to falsify reports.

Later, former Legal Services Commissioner Bob Brittan called for a far-reaching inquiry into the State Government’s integrity, saying he was “bewildered” that ethical issues he raised on the job were ignored. The inquiry never came.

Morrison, 65, a teacher and bible college graduate before running for council, said he suffered a heart attack as a result of stress brought on by his sacking.

He said the State Government couldn’t get rid of 10 councillors legally “so they made a law to dismiss us”.

David Pahlke. Picture: Des Houghton

David Morrison Picture: Des Houghton

“When we were sacked minister Hinchliffe was asked, why did you sack us?” Morrison said.

“His response was, that’s what the head of the CCC, Alan MacSporran, wanted us to do.

“We thought, why is the CCC chair talking to the minister?’’

Morrison said there were unresolved questions about the separation of powers, the independence of the CCC and possible political interference.

“Later, Alan MacSporran came out and denied he wanted us dismissed.’’

Morrison believes CCC prejudice against local government was on show in investigations in Logan, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay and Ipswich councils.

Many elected councillors were put under enormous strain only to be exonerated later.

Morrison was born in Glasgow and was teaching at Westside Christian College at Goodna before his election to council.

“It would be great to get an apology from the State Government,” Morrison said.

He and Pahlke said people automatically assumed they were corrupt because they were members of a council that was sacked.

That is the biggest injustice of all, said Morrison.