Under fire mayor Troy Thompson hits back at ‘desperate’ Premier Steven Miles

Townsville’s embattled Mayor Troy Thompson has fired back at Premier Steven Miles, accusing him of eroding democracy by calling for his resignation based on ‘personal preferences’.

Troy Thompson has fired back at Premier Steven Miles after he again called for him to step down as Townsville's mayor.

Townsville’s embattled Mayor Troy Thompson has fired back at Premier Steven Miles, accusing him of eroding democracy by calling for his resignation based on ‘personal preferences’.

His comments come after Premier Miles recently doubled down on calls for Mr Thompson to stand down, stating that the Mayor was holding the city “to ransom” if he refused.

Despite being denied entry to the council building by security last week, Mr Thompson appears determined to return from the leave of absence he took on June 5.

This was the same day his fellow councillors unanimously voted for a motion urging Queensland’s Local Government Minister, Meaghan Scanlon, to suspend him.

The motion followed revelations that Mr Thompson had made false claims about his military history and had been referred to the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).

Mr Thompson’s fellow councillors have called on him to resign. Photo: Daniel Shirkie.

In a lengthy statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday morning ahead of the day’s scheduled council meeting, Mr Thompson dismissed Premier Miles’ calls for him to step down as “desperate” and an attempt to maintain relevance.

“Unfortunately, these comments seem to endorse the erosion of democratic rights for Townsville residents,” he said.

“By calling for the democratically elected Mayor’s resignation based on personal preferences, the Premier undermines the very essence of our system.”

Mr Thompson continued to insist that the council’s resolutions, which strip him of his responsibilities, are invalid and unlawful.

He claims he has twice requested Minister Scanlon to remove the council’s resolutions under section 121 of the Local Government Act and to reinstate his duties as outlined in section 12 of the Act, but he has received no response.

He criticised her silence on the matter and said he has lodged a complaint with the Office of the Independent Assessor regarding the councillors’ actions.

Mr Thompson said he has sent two requests to Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Responding to questions from the Bulletin on Wednesday morning, Local Government Minister Scanlon said: “I’m advised the department is in contact with Troy Thompson and is looking into the matters he has raised”.

“On matters that have been previously raised and are being investigated by the CCC, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further,” Ms Scanlon said.

This fiery spray is the second Mr Thompson has posted online since breaking his 12-day social media silence on Tuesday when he accused the Townsville City Council’s acting CEO Joe McCabe and councillors of overstepping their bounds.

At the time, Townsville City Council said it was “aware” of the Mayor’s statement on Facebook, but noted it was “not in a position to comment”.

However, the council did confirm that “it is required to meet its duties in relation to the work health and safety of all councillors and staff under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011”.

Originally published as Under fire mayor Troy Thompson hits back at ‘desperate’ Premier Steven Miles