Senior Education Department executive stood aside

A senior executive from Queensland’s Education Department has been stood aside. It’s believed to relate to a probe into allegations of corruption into the recruitment of a principal for a new southside Brisbane school.

A SENIOR Education Department executive was stood aside on Monday amid a corruption probe into the appointment process of a Brisbane school principal.

It is understood it's in relation to the state's corruption watchdog’s investigation into allegations of corrupt conduct relating to a recruitment process for the principal of the Inner City South State Secondary College.

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Former Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad resigned from the Palaszczuk Government’s ministry at the weekend after learning the Crime and Corruption Commission was investigating claims she interfered with the ­recruitment of the principal at the South Brisbane school.

She has denied any wrongdoing.

Director-General Tony Cook issued a statement Monday which read: “A senior executive of the Department of Education has been stood aside today from their position with the Department, effective immediately.

“Out of respect for the executive’s privacy, no further comment will be made at this time,’’ it said.

Education Minister Grace Grace said she had been informed the Director-General had stood down a senior executive.

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“It is my understanding that the Director-General’s actions relate to a matter that is currently being investigated by the CCC,’’ she said on Monday.

“These are operational ­matters and it is inappropriate for me to comment further.”

The CCC had been assessing a complaint by Opposition ­education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie since November last year, when he alleged Ms Trad interfered in the appointment of a principal.

Artist's impression of the Inner City South State Secondary College.

Ms Trad has previously ­denied she had anything to do with the decision to appoint ­Kirsten Ferdinands instead of Tracey Cook – who had earlier been chosen to head the new $120 million college – after a meeting she had with Ms Cook.

At the time, the Director-General issued a statement outlining the selection process for the principal of the school, stating a five-person selection panel had established Ms Cook as a frontrunner for the position, before Ms Trad met with her, but she was never formally appointed to the job.

“An order of merit was established through the initial recruitment process and the Department of Education initiated a meeting with the Deputy Premier which involved an informal discussion of approximately 15 minutes with the highest ranked candidate,” Mr Cook said at the time.

“I have been advised that while the panel had signed off on the appointment, new demographic modelling indicated the school would exceed 1600 students and be eligible for an executive principal position.”

“Therefore no offer of appointment was made,” Mr Cook said in November.

“I approved the role’s reclassification at this higher level of remuneration,” he said at the time.