Logan City Council ex-CEO in ‘jobs for the boys’ claim

A chief executive officer of the state’s fourth biggest council abruptly resigned after two private business associates scored high-paid jobs at the same council, internal emails reveal.

Logan City Council CEO Andrew Milner departed suddenly after seven months.

A CHIEF executive officer of the state’s fourth biggest council abruptly resigned after two private business associates scored high-paid jobs at the same council, internal emails reveal.

Andrew Milner was hired to the top job at Logan City Council on a $450,000-a-year package in July 2016, but departed suddenly with little explanation seven months later.

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A former mining executive with BHP and Rio Tinto, Mr Milner had no government experience, and among his first priorities were trips to the US and Germany “attracting global partners”.

The Courier-Mail revealed in November that Logan councillors had raised conflict-of-interest concerns about the appointment of Mr Milner’s private business associate Andrew Shook as council’s head of innovation — attracting a salary of about $300,000 — two days before he quit the post in February 2017.

Mr Shook became a co-director with Mr Milner in mining sector advisory Nexion Corp the same month he was hired by council.

Emails obtained by The Courier-Mail under Right to Information laws show Mr Shook, a Perth-based ex-Rio Tinto manager, was one of 258 candidates for the job, and Mr Milner was kept in the loop on his job interview details, even weighing in to ensure council arranged travel and accommodation for the candidates.

Andrew Shook

Michael Fisher

“I assume as this is a management directive I can make the call on what we reimburse?” Mr Milner wrote ahead of Mr Shook’s job interview.

Council emails also reveal a second Nexion Corp director, fellow ex-Rio Tinto worker Michael Fisher, scored a job at Logan council just weeks before Mr Shook.

He was hired after Mr Milner set up an introduction in his office with a council manager.

The manager later wrote to a council director for approval to hire Mr Fisher on an initial six-month contract, describing him as a “key resource in the integrated delivery of innovative projects”.

“In discussion with Andrew regarding funding of this role, he advised this would be available via the ‘special projects’ budget,” the council manager wrote to the director.

It is understood councillors were unaware a second staffer with business links had got a job when Mr Milner’s resignation was accepted and entitlements paid out.

The Crime and Corruption Commission has since been told of the second appointment.

Attempts to obtain comment from Mr Milner, Mr Shook and Mr Fisher were unsuccessful. There’s no suggestion of impropriety against Mr Fisher or Mr Shook.

Mr Shook previously said he did not start work at council, while Mr Fisher took a new job months after his council appointment, according to his LinkedIn profile.