‘Childish’ Mayor called on to not run again after shock move

Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow has defended herself against claims she should not have resigned, outlining why she chose to leave the role and if she will run in the by-election. It comes after an MP slammed the move as a “childish tantrum” or expensive “stunt”.

Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow has defended herself against claims she should not have resigned, outlining why she chose to leave the role.

She has also confirmed she will not run in the by-election to choose the new mayor of Rockhampton.

Her shock resignation will result in an expensive by-election after the State Government decided to change local government laws that would automatically see Chris Hooper become mayor of Rockhampton.

Labor MP Barry O’Rourke had slammed the resignation as a “childish tantrum” or expensive “stunt”.

Mr O’Rourke, who represents the seat of Rockhampton, accused Ms Strelow of behaving selfishly in resigning over a misconduct finding relating to her failure to update her Register of Interests, saying there was absolutely no reason for her to do so.

Quirky local Chris ‘Pineapple’ Hooper becomes Rockhampton mayor after Margaret Strelow resigns

The misconduct finding recommends Ms Strelow make an apology that she has engaged in misconduct at the next council meeting, update her register of interests and attend training relating to maintaining her register of interests.

Mr O’Rourke said Ms Strelow had several less “selfish” avenues she could have chosen rather than the one that will result in a massive waste of taxpayer money.

Mayor Margaret Strelow has announced her resignation.

“The tribunal finding did not require her resignation,” Mr O’Rourke said on Monday afternoon.

“Ratepayers did not expect her to or want her to.

“She simply should not have done it.

“She has behaved selfishly and not in the best interest of ratepayers.”

Barry O'Rourke.

Ms Strelow today told The Courier-Mail she felt resigning was “the honourable thing to do”, even though she didn’t agree with the misconduct finding.

And she said she couldn’t follow disciplinary recommendations and apologise to council as a matter of principle.

Ms Strelow welcomed news the Palaszczuk Government would repeal laws that would have installed Chris ‘Pineapple’ Hooper as the new mayor.

“I am pleased that the state government have chosen to change the legislation that would automatically appoint Pineapple,” she told The Courier-Mail by text.

“It was bad legislation.

“The community deserve a by-election.”

Ms Strelow said she had recorded the Adani solar farm inspection the same way the council recorded all of its normal sponsored hospitality – in the Register of Sponsored Hospitality.

“Neither the Independent Assessor nor the Tribunal have even attempted to give a reason why this particular hospitality should be any different to any other,” she said.

“They were afraid to say the name Adani.

“The fact that I didn’t list the solar farm inspection on my Register of Interests (separate to the Register of Sponsored Hospitality) was not an administrative oversight, it was a position of principle.

“And my refusal to stand in front of my community to confess to misconduct is similarly a position of principle.

“That said, I resigned because I had been found guilty of misconduct and I felt it was the honourable thing to do even though I don’t agree with the finding.”

Mr O’Rourke urged residents to read the tribunal’s findings and said Ms Strelow could have put the matter behind her by simply apologising for the oversight at a council meeting or by fighting the decision at QCAT.

“There was simple (sic) no reason to resign and her decision cannot be justified rationally,” he said.

“It’s either a childish tantrum or a stunt designed to cause a completely unnecessary by-election.

“Nonetheless, a by-election is what will happen now.”

Mr O’Rourke said ratepayers would be forced to wear the cost of that now, “which is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars”.

“Having put us through this unnecessary expense – I call on Ms Strelow to do the right thing and rule out running again,” he said.

“It’s time to draw a line under this sorry episode and allow the community to move on.”

The MP acknowledged the Palaszczuk Government had gotten laws that would have installed the person who came second in the mayoral race automatically into the job and said it was “the right move” to fix those laws as a priority now.