CCC Council inquiry: Mayor Tom Tate says he had no knowledge of Chief of Staff’s business

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate insists he had no knowledge about the alleged conflicts of interest his chief of staff of seven years had with private companies and their dealings with the council.

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate insists he had no knowledge about the alleged conflicts of interest his chief of staff of seven years had with private companies and their dealings with the council.

No criminal charges have resulted from the Crime and Corruption Commission’s (CCC) Operation Yabber but its report, tabled in State Parliament yesterday, claims Mayor Tate’s right-hand-man Wayne Moran “inappropriately interfered in council business”.

Wayne Moran. Picture: Richard Gosling

Speaking to the media at a press conference yesterday, Cr Tate said he had no knowledge of Mr Moran “involving himself” in matters before council linked to two companies, including a town planning firm he had previously performed paid work for through his company Jacem.

“I do not know the details of Wayne’s company that much, it’s his private company, it’s the company he still has,” Cr Tate said.

“I don’t know a lot about his business. I used him for our mayoral campaign in 2012, he helped Rob Molhoek in 2008 and I thought, looking at it, that he had the making of someone who is good in detail and that’s what I wanted.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

WHAT MAYOR TOM TATE SAID TO THE CCC

Mr Moran was Mayor Tate’s chief of staff for more than seven years until he was stood down in November last year with full pay pending the outcome of an investigation.

In an 18-minute press conference yesterday, Cr Tate spoke about the 2017 purchase of two selfie sticks at a cost of $998, one of which kept by the mayoral office and the other given to his daughter, with the cost reimbursed to council

He described the CCC report as being “terrific” for the council, saying: “The report is nice and detailed. For me, it’s an A plus.”

The Mayor also confirmed he was standing by Mr Moran and had stayed in touch with him in the months following him being stood down.

Mayoral Chief of Staff Wayne Moran. Picture: Glenn Hampson

READ IN FULL: EMAIL EXCHANGES BETWEEN COUNCIL OFFICIALS

Cr Tate was also grilled over why he sent an email to council chief executive Dale Dickson in late 2015 directing he close a probe into Mr Moran’s alleged conflicts of interest, advising he would “take the next step” if his instructions were not followed.

“It is like this – in a family there is an argument and tussle between the two boys and after a while when it stops being productive, you sort it out,” he said.

“If you need to act on it with evidence, you do what you gotta do, but if you can’t I issue instruction to say it is all over.

“For the betterment of the city we move on. I did it because I thought it was the best way forward.

“There is always a friction between the administration and the policy wing.”

Gold Coast Council CEO Dale Dickson. Photo: Jerad Williams

Mr Dickson last night told the Bulletin he was pleased with the results.

“I welcome the CCC’s comprehensive investigation into the City of Gold Coast and acknowledgment that it did not find serious and systematic governance and cultural issues, with related charges of fraud, misconduct or official corruption,” he said.

“As council CEO, I will continue to focus on good corporate governance as a key means of achieving both high standards of organisational performance and results, and public trust and confidence in the Council. The Operation Yabber report has confirmed the relevance and importance of this focus.

“It is not appropriate for me to make any comment in relation to Mayor Tate or Mr Moran, other than to affirm the CCC’s reference to their entitlement of the presumption of innocence.”

Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: Jerad Williams

Cr Tate insisted the report vindicated himself and the council and said it would have no impact on him contesting a third term in the city’s top job at the March 28 election.

When asked if he would still run at the election, he said: “I will have another crack” and compared himself to both pop stars Elton John and Taylor Swift, quoting John’s 1983 song I’m Still Standing.

“I reflect on Elton John’s song ‘I am standing, yeah, yeah yeah’,” he said.

When asked if it would cost him votes, the Mayor responded: “What did Taylor Swift say? Haters are gonna hate hate hate.”

The Mayor also compared the CCC investigation to receiving a colonoscopy and being given “a clean bill of health”.

“I have been asked to comment on operation ‘Yabber-dabbler-doo’ and the way I look at it, it is a terrific outcome for the city of the Gold Coast,” he said.

“There is no systematic corruption found, whether it’s councillors, mayor, or officers. So this is a green bill of health.

“The way I look at it, it has been a long time coming, nearly 18 months … when you look at it now, I welcome the due diligence by the CCC and it is out there for all to see.”

Cr Tate defended spending in the mayoral office, including the purchases of selfie sticks, something he has been referred to the Office of Independent Assessor over.

“I am confident that I have been referred to the OIA more than 60 times. I don’t have a batting average because they have all been dismissed,” he said.

“Am I confident of this? Yes. Am I upset about this referral? No. It’s part of their job to refer to because it is beyond their scope of works.

“I do not see a drama. I didn’t buy a house next to the Cross-River Rail. It’s a selfie stick and you know where you put that.”