Cracks show in Noosa Council with councillor conduct review

Noosa Council rep is not happy with colleagues at all

Ingrid Jackson

RELATIONS between Councillor Ingrid Jackson and two of her fellow Noosa Council colleagues must now by icy, after they made formal complaints about her.

"In order to assess the complaints against Cr Jackson Noosa Council's Chief Executive Officer chose to engage an independent third party to provide advice in relation to these matters,” council's acting CEO Alan 'Fox' Rogers said.

"This advice indicated that the complaints were 'not substantiated, lacking in substance or frivolous'.

"In accordance with section 176 of the Local Government Act 2009, the CEO then reviewed this advice and agreed that the complaints could not be substantiated.

"Therefore no further action was required.”

The complaints related to procedural matters at council meetings and Cr Jackson's online posts and comments on her Facebook page, Ingrid Jackson Councillor for Noosa Shire.

The complaints were "an attempt to shut down my Facebook activities”, according to Cr Jackson, who was voted into council at last year's election.

She has already announced her intention to run as mayor at the 2020 council election.

Cr Jackson said one councillor, who was named, and another councillor who wished to remain anonymous, submitted two separate lists totalling seven complaints alleging a string of breaches of the code by Cr Jackson.

"After a thorough external investigation, interviews with the three councillors and a report to the council CEO, all seven complaints were dismissed as either not substantiated, lacking in substance or, in one case, frivolous,” Cr Jackson said in a statement.

"It has been a trying time, extending over many months, and I'm relieved and pleased with the outcome.

"It is an important responsibility of councillors to communicate in a straightforward way with the community and that is what I'm trying to do,” she said.

"I believe the decision to reject the complaints in their entirety vindicates what I am doing to inform the people of Noosa about council matters that are in the public arena.”

Cr Jackson said Noosa expect "politics to be hard-edged, but it should not be personal”.

"Both councillors could have raised their concerns with me first, but they went straight to a formal complaint,” she aid.