Sunshine Coast Council former CEO matter unlikely to return to CCC after watchdog’s review

A matter involving a former Sunshine Coast Council boss is unlikely to be reviewed by the CCC, after flags were raised about the watchdog’s processes.

The Department of Justice and Attorney-General says it has no power to order investigations be recalled to the Crime and Corruption Commission, after concerns were raised with the watchdog’s processes.

Public Service Commission chief executive Robert Setter’s submission to a Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee inquiry into the Commission’s performance of its functions with regards to complaints of corrupt conduct was recently cited in calls to improve the watchdog’s performance.

Mr Setter said some public sector agencies had sought help from the Public Service Commission in matters involving chief executives or human resources and ethical standards areas.

“In some of these cases, concerns have been raised about the referral of corrupt conduct matters by the CCC back to agencies with no, or very limited, capability to handle them, or where the allegations involve the chief executive or member of a board,” he said.

The submission was included in a report recently tabled in state parliament as part of a broader review into the Crime and Corruption Commission’s activities.

Questions were put to the Department of Justice and Attorney-General about what action was being taken to address issues raised by Mr Setter and whether the state government would identify any cases referred back to agencies and bring them back to the Crime and Corruption Commission for investigation.

Former Sunshine Coast Council chief executive Michael Whittaker, left, with Mayor Mark Jamieson after his appointment to a five-year term in 2015.

The Department was also asked whether, if cases were to be brought back before the Commission for investigation, the matter of an allegation against former Sunshine Coast Council chief executive Michael Whittaker in May, 2019, would be among them.

That matter was sent to the Commission, which then referred it back to the council.

An independent investigation followed, but the ensuing report has never been released publicly, although a Sunshine Coast Council spokesman confirmed there had been no adverse findings made against “the Mayor, any councillors (current or previous) or any current employees of council”.

A Department spokesman said the state government would carefully consider the Committee’s recommendations in the report tabled in parliament on June 30.

But it made clear there appeared no avenue for any matters to be recalled to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

“Given its important role as an independent body to continuously improve the integrity of, and reduce the incidence of corruption in, the public sector, the government has no general power to review the CCC’s decisions or direct the CCC to investigate a matter,” the spokesman said.