Barcaldine Mayor Sean Dillon accuses Office of Independent Assessor of ‘unprofessional and administrative failing’

A Queensland mayor investigated over comments he made about the vaccine rollout has accused the council watchdog of an “unprofessional and administrative failing”.

Barcaldine Mayor Sean Dillon has claimed the council watchdog’s “protracted” investigation into his comments about the state’s vaccine rollout undermined the public health response as he accused it of an “unprofessional and administrative failing”.

In a lashing of the Office of the Independent Assessor during a parliamentary hearing into the body’s functions, Cr Dillon called for statutory time frames to ensure complaints were dealt with in a timely manner.

The Mayor also slammed the watchdog for publicly stating that his comments about the vaccine rollout had been made in response to “incorrect information”.

“Ms (Kathleen) Florian has effectively scapegoated a senior council employee with whom she has no legal authority over to use as a shield for the OIA’s administrative incompetence and legal deficiency essentially claiming ‘I’m letting you off because your staff said the wrong thing’,” he told the hearing.

“My commentary was in very little way substantially influenced by my officer’s meeting and I accept full responsibility for my statements and actions – a behaviour Ms Florian would do well to appreciate.”

The Courier-Mail last year revealed the OIA was probing a complaint about Cr Dillon who criticised the Central West Hospital and Health Service’s planned vaccination rollout.

Cr Dillon on Tuesday accused the OIA of an “unprofessional and administrative failing” after it failed to notify him that the probe had restarted.

Barcaldine Mayor Sean Dillon at a parliamentary hearing into the Office the Independent Assessor. Picture: Liam Kidston

It came after the watchdog late last year revealed its investigation had temporarily paused because the matter had been referred to in the parliamentary inquiry’s terms of reference.

The inquiry into the OIA’s functions was sparked by The Courier-Mail’s coverage of trivial complaints about councillors being probed by the watchdog.

An OIA spokeswoman said Cr Dillon’s legal representative was advised on February 8 that the investigation had recommenced.

But it’s understood they were only told this after asking.

Cr Dillon also took aim at the OIA after he was told the probe had restarted on January 28 while the media was told it had restarted on February 3.

The watchdog ultimately dismissed the complaint last month – about a year after it launched its investigation – saying the Mayor’s statements were based on incorrect information.

Cr Dillon had raised concerns his entire western community could not be vaccinated in the few days allocated, that more public information was needed before the planned jabs and that not everyone could physically attend the shire hall for their shots.

The Mayor on Tuesday said he believed the watchdog “was clearly looking to get my case off the books before this (hearing) day arrived.”

He also said the “protracted nature” of the probe “probably did as much harm for the HHS, if not more so, than it did for myself”.

“Because the broader community sentiment clearly supported the position I’d taken and so continuing to drag this out actually left it not in the public interest,” he said.

“In fact I think the OIA’s failure to deal with this quickly and succinctly undermined the health response in a certain way, or certainly public credibility in that process instead of just dismissing it quickly.”