Annastacia Palaszczuk refuses to explicitly support Alan MacSporran

The Premier has refused to throw her support behind the boss of the state’s corruption watchdog following a damning report, as the body representing the state’s 77 councils passes a motion of no confidence.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to say whether she backs the head of the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission after a scathing report revealed serious failings within the watchdog.

Ms Palaszczuk said she needed to read in detail the parliamentary crime and corruption committee’s report, which recommended the powers of the watchdog be probed via a commission of inquiry.

“That report is a very serious report and government needs to give that serious consideration,” she said.

“The report has just been tabled, it’s very comprehensive, the Government is going to look at that in detail and then we will formally respond to that report.”

It comes as a motion of no confidence in Mr MacSporran was passed by the Local Government Association of Queensland’s policy executive – a group of mayors and councillors representing the state’s 77 councils.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and CCC chair Alan MacSporran

LGAQ president and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the committee’s report found serious failings in the way the CCC had investigated and charged Logan councillors.

“For the CCC to issue a statement yesterday in defiance of these findings is offensive and concerning,” Cr Jamieson said.

“It puts the future of this critical watchdog in jeopardy when the chair should at all times be acting to protect its legacy.

“The local government sector, and indeed the Queensland public, cannot have confidence in the CCC until the chair accepts responsibility for its actions and stands down to allow a new chair to take over, correct the serious misgivings identified by the PCCC, and restore public confidence.”

Ms Palaszczuk today repeatedly refused to say whether she supported CCC boss Alan MacSporran, instead saying she wanted to read the report.

“I have confidence in having an anti-corruption watchdog in this state,” she said.

“It’s one of the hallmarks that came out of the Fitzgerald inquiry and it does serve our state very well, but these are serious matters and I’m not going to comment any further until we have looked in detail at the report.”

Following a six-month review into the conduct of the CCC, the PCCC found the watchdog operated outside the limits of its powers and “failed to act independently and impartially” when charging seven Logan councillors with fraud in 2018.

Those charges were dropped in April this year.

LGAQ president and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson

The PCCC rejected counsel-assisting Jonathan Horton’s recommendation to terminate Mr MacSporran as chairman, however the severity of the committee’s findings sparked immediate calls for him to stand down – including by Local Government Association of Queensland president Mark Jamieson.

In a statement late yesterday, a CCC spokesman said Mr MacSporran would be staying on.

“Alan MacSporran QC will continue to lead the CCC, and with the commissioners and the CCC’s leadership team, looks forward to an ongoing and productive relationship with the PCCC as the CCC continues to independently combat major crime and reduce corruption for the benefit of the Queensland community,” it said.

While tabling the scathing report in Parliament, PCCC chair Jon Krause revealed he’d been warned of “consequences” in holding an extensive probe into the CCC.

He did not say by whom.

“The fact that these matters are even raised with me, are in the consciousness of people who are interested in these matters, and that they would say such things is highly concerning in itself,” he said.

Asked about these comments by Mr Krause, the Premier said these sorts of inquiries were very important and that the PCCC was a bipartisan committee.

She said Mr Krause could take action if he wanted to.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli took aim at the Premier for not having read the report in detail, and said Mr MacSporran’s position was untenable.

“To me, the Premier’s comment seems as though she’s looking to buy time to try and delay a political bunfight to see if she can get through this in making a decision,” he said.

Mr Crisafulli said it was fair and reasonable that there needed to be cultural and personal change at the CCC “to make sure that our crime fighting body is beyond reproach”.

The CCC declined to make any further comment today.