Brisbane councillor ordered to admit error for use of ratepayer funds for party politics

A MEMBER of the Brisbane City Council’s Civic Cabinet has been ordered to make a public admission of error for inappropriately using ratepayers’ money.

Brisbane City Councillor Peter Matic was ordered to make an admission of error at the council meeting on August 1.

A MEMBER of the Brisbane City Council’s Civic Cabinet was ordered to make a public admission of error for inappropriately using ratepayers’ money to publish party political information.

Field Services chairman Peter Matic made the admission at the council’s meeting on August 1.

“Madam Chairman, I wish to inform the Chamber that in March this year I made an error by using the word Labor in a letter which went out to residents in Yeronga and Yeerongpilly in relation to a road resurfacing project being undertaken on Fairfield Rd,” he said.

Councillor Matic’s letter, dated March 20, stated:

“At last Tuesday’s Council meeting Labor Councillors voted in favour of a motion to reallocate $400,000 from this project (the road resurfacing) and reallocate it to other parts of the city.

“I wanted to let you know that this motion was not successful, the money will remain in your local area and the project will proceed as planned this financial year.”

The public record on the matter shows after complaints Cr Matic “inappropriately used Council resources to publish party political information” it was referred to Brisbane City Councillor Conduct Review Panel.

It upheld the complaints and ordered Cr Matic to make the admission of error, reimburse the council for the cost of the production and distribution of the letters, and familiarise himself with the Councillors Publicity Material Procedure.

Cr Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) said the letter to her constituents was “overtly political and misleading” and she was pleased he was required to publicly correct his mistake.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said it was a “reasonable result” for what he considered a “serious” infraction.

The letter referenced a motion Cr Nicole Johnston made on March 14 to reallocate funding from resurfacing Fairfield Rd to road and pedestrian safety projects at Graceville and Corinda state schools and Christ the King at Graceville — all projects were in her ward.

In May, Greens Cr Jonathan Sri’s funding of campaign signs against the Wynnum Rd upgrade was criticised as borderline misuse of ratepayer money for party politics.