Greg Chemello addresses sacked Ipswich councillor’s claims about hiring and firing of staff during administration

The team of councillors sacked prior to Greg Chemello’s appointment as Ipswich City Council administrator claimed he was heavily influenced by the state’s corruption watchdog when it came to hiring and firing. Now he has his say.

Former Ipswich City Council interim administrator Greg Chemello has addressed claims by the councillors dismissed by the state government in 2018.

Former Ipswich City Council administrator Greg Chemello has rubbished claims made by the team of councillors sacked by the state government three years ago as the stoush over their dismissal drags on.

Current councillors Paul Tully and Sheila Ireland and former councillors David Pahlke, Charlie Pisasale, David Morrison, Cheryl Bromage, Kerry Silver, Wayne Wendt and David Martin lodged a joint submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the Crime and Corruption Commission’s investigation into Logan City Council.

In their submission, the dismissed councillors raised “serious issues regarding the operational processes and investigative techniques” of the state’s corruption watchdog in relation to the investigation which ultimately led to their sacking.

Crime and Corruption Commission chairman Alan MacSporran.

They called for a comprehensive review of the CCC to be undertaken with the powers of a Royal Commission and wanted a public apology and compensation paid for the “reputational, mental health and financial” impacts caused by their dismissal.

The submission claimed “improper intervention” was undertaken by the CCC in regards to senior staffing appointments at the council while it was under administration.

The group of dismissed councillors claimed the CCC recommended Mr Chemello replace ‘inside candidate’ Sean Madigan as CEO and provided the experienced public servant with a ‘hit list’ of council officers to move on.

Mr Chemello was appointed as interim administrator in the wake of the council’s dismissal in August 2018 but moved to take up the role of CEO at Moreton Bay Regional Council in January last year.

Greg Chemello (right) moved from Ipswich City Council to become CEO of Moreton Bay Regional Council in 2020.

Elected representatives, including Cr Tully and Cr Ireland, were returned to office after the election in March last year.

Mr Chemello said the sacked councillors “have been incorrectly advised”.

“Any claim that the CCC recommended to me that Mr Madigan’s employment as (Ipswich City Council) CEO should be terminated is simply not true,” he said.

“Additionally the claim that the CCC recommend to me a ‘hit list’ of council officers who should be dismissed is also not true.

“At no time during my interim administration of Ipswich City Council following the unanimous Queensland parliament decision to dissolve the elected council by a special act of Parliament did the CCC instruct or advise me in the conduct of my role.”

Under questioning during the inquiry last week, CCC chair Alan MacSporran said Operation Windage uncovered “a very toxic, dysfunctional workplace involving a lack of reporting, cover-ups, bullying, harassment” at the council.

“We took the rather unusual step of publishing a report, de-identified as much as it could be, about the incidents we were talking about to simply display how the council had operated significantly undermined public confidence in the local government system,” he said.

In response to questions about serving councillors forming part of the submission, a council spokes said “the views expressed as part of this submission represent the submitters’ personal views, provided in their own capacity”.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.