George St Beat: Councillors learn how not to be naughty
After a series of local government scandals, a new training course has been launched for would-be councillors. No word yet whether it contains any pearls of wisdom around catcalling colleagues, appearing on The Bachelorette or driving drunk to get KFC.
QLD Politics
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THE Government has launched its mandatory candidate training for would-be councillors looking to contest the March poll.
Entitled, So you want to be a councillor?, the short course was brought in after the CCC’s Operation Belcarra deep dive into council naughtiness.
No word yet on whether the hour-long session contains any pearls of wisdom around catcalling colleagues, appearing on The Bachelorette, driving drunk to get KFC, or posing as a private investigator and demanding thousands of dollars from the ex-boyfriend of a Chinese escort.
But just FYI, don’t do any of those things.
THEY WON’T DRINK TO THAT
Annastacia Palaszczuk’s booze ban warning to her Ministers has not gone unheeded.
GSB understands Ministers have been sticking almost religiously to a two-drink limit when out in public at official functions.
That included several ministers in attendance at this week’s U2 concert in Brisbane who were spotted sipping more water than wine.
CHEERS TO U2, DARLING
Speaking of the U2 concert, Darling & Co at Paddington was a hotbed of local celebrity activity afterwards.
State of Origin and Broncos great Allan Langer was spotted drinking with a man who looked suspiciously like Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug.
And Wolfmother lead singer Andrew Stockdale had no shortage of fans at the popular bar wanting selfies.
FRECKLINGTON TO SPEND MORE TIME IN BRISBANE
LNP Leader Deb Frecklington is taking her party’s need to win back seats in Brisbane and the southeast so seriously the Nanango MP has started renting an apartment in the river city.
GSB understands the rental agreement was signed only recently.
The move will also allow her to spend more time with her daughters. And, happily, it means Frecklington will not have to spend so much time in the ageing parliamentary annexe which has been the subject of several fire alarm scares in recent times.
$135m health bungle: Minister’s apology to affected businesses
Health Minister Steven Miles has apologised to businesses that have suffered delays because of the new Queensland Health payment system.
Hundreds of staff underpaid at Queensland utility
A Queensland Government-owned utility corporation has underpaid hundreds of its senior staff for more than a decade in a bungle that could have ripped off up to a quarter of its workforce.