‘Butthurt’: councillor advised to review his online behaviour

Outspoken Gympie councillor Bruce Devereaux has revealed he has been advised to take a look at his online behaviour after it led to two more complaints being lodged with the State’s local government watchdog

Councilor Bruce Devereaux says he has been advised by the State’s councillor conduct watchdog to take a look at his online behaviour, with two more complaints of conduct breaches being thrown out by the group.

Gympie councillor Bruce Devereaux has been advised by the State’s local government watchdog to review his online behaviour as complaints - and their dismissals - against him pile up.

The Office of the Information Commissioner has thrown out two more complaints against Mr Devereaux, bringing the tally for the past 14 months to eight.

Six have been dismissed. Two remain outstanding, including for using the phrase “dry hump” in an interview.

He said the first of the two recent complaints accused him of using his official councillor Facebook page to suggest council staff had been negligent and that “they had been complicit in illegal activities”.

The exact post or posts in question were unidentified.

But it was the other complaint, which he had in fact referred himself for over an April 18 post on his private page, that rankled the first-term councillor.

Mr Devereaux made the post following backlash over one of his personal blogs about his family blew up on social media.

He made the comment after a post on his Big Family, Little Income blog caused a social media storm in which he was accused of cultural appropriation, saying he did not know “how much butthurt it was going to unearth”.

“In the comment at the end I said ‘I’ll probably get reported for this; then I realised I should probably just report myself,” he said.

“It’s better coming from me than it is from the public.

“The trouble is people want a vanilla councillor.

“They want someone that’s just so devoid of who they were, where as I am anything but vanilla.

“To expect people to be able to express themselves in a way that is just so bland takes away from the reason you got elected in the first place.”

Most of the complaints against Mr Devereaux have focussed on comments he has made on social media.

Mr Deveraux’s social media accounts have been the source of most of the complaints made against him since he was elected.

“You get elected, let’s face it, because you have issues you feel strongly about and you have a way of talking about them.

“The thing I didn’t expect so much of was how restricted you are in being able to express yourself, and it’s a real shame.

“Suddenly you start looking like you’re holding stuff back or being secretive and all you’re being... is too scared to comment for fear of being reported.

“I do try to have more colourful language than straight abuse because it’s more fun. And I prefer to have fun with language.

“The OIA did recommend I maybe look at my own personal process to try and avoid it cause they recognise I am getting quite a few... that’s my eighth complaint they’ve had to have a look at.”