Former Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow cleared of misconduct

A Queensland mayor who sensationally resigned rather than adhere to a government body’s order to apologise for not updating her register of interests over an Adani trip has been exonerated after a three-and-a-half year long battle. VIDEO

It has been nearly four years since former Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow shockingly announced her resignation on Facebook following a misconduct finding that was this week overturned by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) after a lengthy and arduous battle.

Now an Independent state candidate running for the seat of Rockhampton, Mrs Strelow can breathe a sigh of relief now she has been exonerated of the Councillor Conduct Tribunal’s (CCT) 2020 decision which found her guilty of misconduct.

The finding related to a trip to a remote Adani solar farm in 2017 in which the CCT found Mrs Strelow engaged in misconduct by failing to record on her register of interests hospitality benefits received from the Adani Group during a trade delegation to India.

The delegation was part of an official visit by then Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who invited relevant Queensland mayors, including Mrs Strelow, to meet with the Adani Group.

Margaret Strelow announced her resignation in a video on social media where she was wearing bubble wrap.

The reason for this was the infrastructure required to support the Carmichael Coal mine, its workers and its produce spanned across several regional areas.

Mayors arrived in Mumbai on March 16, 2017, with a dinner at a hotel that night hosted by the Premier with the Australian High Commissioner to India, the Consul General in Mumbai and the Trade and Investment Commissioner.

The following day, March 17, the delegation flew from Mumbai to Gujarat where they were met by the CEOs of Adani Ports and Adani Australia among other companies.

They were taken to Mundra Port by road and then to Mundra Special Economic Zone for a tour of a solar manufacturing plant and power plant where they had lunch with the chair of Adani Group, before going back to the airport for the flight to Mumbai.

On March 18, the mayors flew from Mumbai airport to Madurai on an Adani private charter for a site visit to Adani Group’s solar plant in Kamuthi, which was said to be the world’s largest at the time.

The group had a briefing, a tour of the facility, lunch and then returned to Madurai airport for a flight to Chennai, where they were taken to an Adani dinner for mayors at a hotel.

The charter flights that day were needed because there were no available flights to suit the itinerary.

Mrs Strelow entered $1669 of hospitality received from the Adani Group in Rockhampton Regional Council’s hospitality register, describing it as “visiting Adani’s headquarters in India. Flights within India, ground transport and dinner”.

Mrs Strelow was one of eight mayors to attend the delegation at the invitation of former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

The complaint made against her by the Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA) was that the components of the trip which occurred on March 18, 2017, and which were paid for at the time by the Adani Group, should have been entered on the register of interests under the Local Government Act, rather than council’s register.

It was said that failure to make that entry was a breach of trust and misconduct.

‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED’

QCAT handed down its decision that Ms Strelow had not engaged in misconduct on Tuesday, April 30.

“Obviously I’m pleased with the result, however things should never have gotten to this stage and serious questions need to be answered and the involvement of the CCC should be examined,” she said.

“But for now, I need to thank family and close friends who have walked the last few years with me and without whose support I could not have made it.

“I have been deeply conscious of unwavering support in the broader community too and I am grateful for each one of you who stood up for me and with me.”

Ms Strelow said she “didn’t have a choice” but to resign from her position as mayor.

“I was always innocent of the claims that were made against me, but my resignation was forced on me as a matter of principle,” she said.

“The misconduct decision was kept quiet by the CCT and Office of the Independent Assessor for over four months after they made their decision, it was not relayed to me until the afternoon of the day before I was required to apologise.

“There literally wasn’t time to lodge an application for a stay of the punishment, if I had still been mayor at 9am the next morning then by law I needed to stand at the council table and admit to misconduct and from there an appeal would be useless, I was in an impossible situation.”

Ms Strelow said getting the decision from QCAT on Tuesday was a “relief” but she wasn’t “jumping around for joy” like she’d expected.

“It’s been a long time coming and the judgement makes comment on that, that’s it’s been such a long time, it’s four years since the CCT made its decision to get to the appeal now,” she said.

“But now the decks are cleared and it’s onward and upward with my campaign.”

RESIGNATION FALLOUT

Mrs Strelow’s resignation forced changes to recently amended legislation, that she had protested in a social media video, after she was replaced by a polarising local figure.

At the time, a mayor or councillor would be replaced by the next highest polling candidate if they were to die or resign in the first 12 months of their term.

A by-election would be held in the middle part of the term, (13 to 36 months) and council would appoint the replacement if it was in the last part of the term (37 months to 48 months).

Chris ‘Pineapple’ Hooper was almost Rockhampton’s Mayor by default. Photo: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

Ms Strelow won the 2020 local government election, with Chris ‘Pineapple’ Hooper the runner up.

Following the LGA amendments before she stood down, Ms Strelow made a video of herself in a ‘bubble suit’, explaining she was protecting herself using the bubble wrap.

“If anything happens to me, then Chris Hooper is automatically your mayor - and he’s your mayor for three-and-a-half years,” Ms Strelow said.

“This is an appalling piece of legislation.”

When she resigned, the State Government quickly amended the legislation again so a mayoral by-election would be held.

The 2020 by-election was one of Queensland’s largest ever for mayor with 17 candidates, with Mr Hooper and four councillors putting their hands up to run for the position.

The election was won by current Mayor Tony Williams.