Editorial: Premier, Minister can’t wash their hands of problem they created
It’s not good enough for the Premier and deputy to deny responsibility for the draconian actions of their council watchdog, writes the editor.
Opinion
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Before we start, if we were an elected councillor in this state we would likely not be able to write the following few hundred words.
That is the sad truth of the bizarre and dangerous war on free speech being waged by the secretive statutory body set up by the Palaszczuk government to uncover and bust corruption in local government – and armed to do so with extraordinary powers akin to those held by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
On Wednesday we revealed the Barcaldine Mayor has been fighting accusations of potential misconduct for months – simply because of an opinion that he expressed – by that same statutory body, the Orwellian-named Office of the Independent Assessor.
Today we reveal a laundry list of just some of the other bizarre witch-hunts the OIA has set off on in recent times – from the Gympie councillor fined for posting on Facebook that the city’s showgrounds would host a caravan rally, to the Townsville councillor reprimanded for telling his local paper about the upgrade of a footpath.
And then you have the case of former Origin star turned Mackay councillor Martin Bella. He was investigated by the OIA this year after a complaint was made to it alleging he was no longer a fit and proper person to hold office the day that he told The Sunday Mail about a neighbourhood dispute that had turned violent – leaving him with head injuries that meant he couldn’t sequence tasks, concentrate, and that he found it difficult to focus.
It is not surprising that these revelations sparked an avalanche of criticism of the OIA on Wednesday – and a 96 per cent “yes” response rate to a survey on our website that asked if the body had acted too harshly in its action against Barcaldine Mayor Sean Dillon.
His “crime” had been to sensibly and calmly suggest during an open council meeting that the vaccine rollout plans hatched by his local public health service were “just not going to work” because he doubted his entire community could be vaccinated in the few days allocated and that not everyone could physically attend the shire hall for their jabs because of isolation or mobility issues.
He added that vaccination was “the thing that we need to try and restore confidence in businesses and community events” and so “I just hope they don’t stuff it up”. That’s it. (You can watch the relevant section of the council meeting on our website.)
George Orwell in his iconic dystopian novel 1984 warned of “thoughtcrimes”. We might not quite be there yet in Queensland. But it does appear that there is now such a thing as “speakcrimes”, because we live in a state where the government body established to investigate genuine matters of council misconduct and corruption is instead wasting time dictating what opinions elected councillors can and cannot express in public. And yet when the minister responsible for the OIA – Logal Government Minister Steven Miles – was quizzed about all this on Wednesday he simply washed his hands of the problem, saying any complaints could be made to the Ombudsman.
The Premier agreed with just about everyone in saying the OIA’s treatment of Mr Dillon had been “a bit ridiculous” – before quickly adding: “... But that’s a matter for the independent assessor”.
Well they are both wrong. This was a statutory body established by this Government, and so this Government is responsible for it.
The OIA was established with all the best intentions – to rebuild the trust of Queenslanders in local government following a series of lamentable revelations about the poor behaviour of a number of councillors, including the criminal behaviour of former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale. The Courier-Mail strongly continues to believe there is a role for the OIA in our democracy. In fact, considering our state’s recent past, it is critical.
The Local Government Association of Queensland agrees. Chief executive Greg Hallam said he had always supported the role of the OIA. But in relation to Mr Dillon’s speakcrime, Mr Hallam said his organisation was prepared to take the matter to the High Court. The OIA, he said, was “way wide of the mark on this issue” – because it both didn’t pass the pub test, nor accord with the Australian Constitution.
There is now clear evidence that something is seriously amiss in the way it is going about its task. It is out of line, and way out of its lane.
Minister Miles must front up.
Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us
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