Complaint over council funds being used for political purposes

A BRISBANE LNP councillor has been referred to the Department of Local Government for using ratepayer-funded council resources for overtly political purposes.

Councillor Peter Matic sent out a letter that claimed Opposition Labor councillors voted to remove funds from the Tennyson ward. Picture: Peter Cronin

A BRISBANE LNP councillor has been referred to the Department of Local Government for using ratepayer-funded council resources for overtly political purposes.

A complaint was made after Field Services chairman Peter Matic released a letter to Tennyson Ward residents that claimed Opposition Labor councillors voted to remove funds from the ward.

The letter, on Cr Matic’s Field Services letterhead, emerged after Tennyson Ward councillor Nicole Johnston moved a motion at last week’s council meeting for the redistribution of $400,000 from a $1.4 million kitty that was put aside for road resurfacing works in Tennyson.

The motion sought to have the funds redirected to pedestrian safety projects near schools within the same ward.

However, Cr Matic claimed in the letter that Labor councillors voted in favour of the motion to have the funds redirected to other parts of the city.

Opposition Leader Peter Cumming has submitted a complaint, obtained by The Courier-Mail, to the Department of Local Government director general Frankie Carroll.

Cr Cumming alleged the “direct mail” campaign was in breach of the City of Brisbane Act, through inappropriate conduct or misconduct, which prohibits party political language in council materials.

Inappropriate conduct complaints are normally handled by council CEOs, while misconduct allegations are usually forwarded to the Department of Local Government or the Crime and Corruption Commission for assessment.

A copy of the complaint was submitted to council CEO Colin Jensen too.

A council spokesman tonight said Cr Matic had agreed to repay the money used to send out the letters. He said it was an oversight he had referred to Labor instead of writing council Opposition in the letter.