Ipswich Council misconduct charge: Former officer Craig Kelvin Maudsley pleads not guilty

A former Ipswich City Council officer on trial for allegedly offering a cheaper dumping rate to a contractor was recorded as saying that he was desperate to get the job done.

Craig Maudsley is fighting a misconduct charge relating to his time as an Ipswich City Council officer. Picture: file

The jury in the trial of former Ipswich City Council officer Craig Maudsley has retired to consider its verdict after being told by Maudsley’s defence counsel that he was ‘desperate’ to fill a coal mine void and only ever had the best interests of the council at heart.

Craig Kelvin Maudsley, the former chief operator for works, parks and recreation, is standing trial for alleged misconduct as a public officer, a charge he is strongly defending.

“He is a man whose only intention was to get the job done and finished by Colmine. He was desperate to get the big hole filled,” barrister Tony Glynn QC said in a final summary of defence argument before Ipswich District Court.

Maudsley has pleaded not guilty to a chargethat between September 14, 2016 and November 23, 2016 when a public officer he facilitated the dumping of fill in preferential terms in an abuse of authority of office to dishonesty gain financial benefit for Landfill Logistics, or with intent to dishonestly cause financial detriment to Colmine Consulting Pty.

The prosecution alleges he worked to get cheaper dumping rates for Landfill Logistics boss Wayne Innes by telling the site operator it was fill from a council job.

Former landfill contractor Wayne Innes leaves court after giving evidence in the trial of former Ipswich City Council officer Craig Maudsley earlier this week.

The trial heard that the commercial rate for dumping at the site was $4 and $6, but Ipswich City Council had negotiated a much cheaper rate of $1.50 for its fill.

On Thursday afternoon at the end of a four-day trial, Mr Glynn said Maudsley had no intent to cause financial harm to Colin Donegan, the operator of Landfill Logistics.

The company held the council contract to operate the fill site at the former Wattle Glen open coal mine at Austin St in Redbank Plains.

Mr Glynn said there was also no intention on Maudsley’s behalf to benefit Wayne Innes, who was the director of Landfill Logistics at the time.

Mr Glynn told the jury Landfill Logistics had fallen well behind in its schedule and Maudsley acted within guidelines of his employment capacity to get the job done so that intended council development of the site could take place.

Mr Glynn said it had been estimated that the hole would require 1.2 million cubic metres of fill so the council could develop a super depot and close seven other sites.

He said the council contract to fill the mine void included use by both the council and third parties to dump fill there.

“All he (Maudsley) really wanted to do was to get that hole filled and that clearly wasn’t happening with Colmine,” he said.

“That is his duty, his work.

“It was a big project.

“I just want my hole filled,” Maudsley was recorded as saying in one telephone intercept, Mr Glynn reminded the jury.

Mr Glynn said the recorded telephone conversations played in prosecution evidence, showed Maudsley often mentioned filling the mine hole.

He said the conversations were honest because Maudsley had not known they were being recorded.

“He kept repeating he wanted to get this hole filled, kept repeating this,” Mr Glynn said.

Mr Glynn said the original proposal was that there would be 165,000 metres of fill but this decreased over time to 8000 metres.

“He was not trying to give an advantage to Mr Innes. He wasn’t trying to disadvantage the contractor (Colmine),” he said.

“What he was trying to do was get the job done.”

“He tried to negotiate with both parties to get the best possible deal he could.

“To get the price down. Trying to get it as cost-neutral for council.

“He still thought (at that time) he had 30,000 metres coming his way. He didn’t but that was not his fault.”

Mr Glynn acknowledged that there was a degree of friendship between Mr Innes and Maudsley, but the men only had contact three times outside of work including a football game.

Crown prosecutor Sam Bain, in his summary, maintained that on evidence before the court, there had been animosity between Maudsley and Colmine, and that the council works boss had acted in a way to deceive Colmine in order to gain a cheaper price for Landfill Logistics.

Mr Bain argued that through his involvement, Maudsley facilitated more favourable terms below the commercial rates Colmine was charging to dump fill at the Austin Street site, gaining a better deal for Mr Innes.

The jury retired in the late afternoon to begin deliberation of the case.