Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate renews calls for CCC's Alan MacSporran to stand down
Mayor Tom Tate has again lashed out at the boss of the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) and demanded he stand down from his role with the watchdog.
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GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate has again lashed out at the boss of the Crime and Corruption Commission and demanded he stand down from his role with the watchdog.
Cr Tate has claimed the “sanctity of our democratic process is at grave risk” if chair Alan MacSporran continues on after the sacking of seven Logan councillors for alleged fraud in 2019.
The charges levelled against the councillors were later withdrawn due to lack of evidence and the CCC’s actions have drawn criticism from the Local Government Association of Queensland, Federal MP Julian Simmonds and Cr Tate, among others.
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The CCC has been contacted by phone and email to respond to the mayor’s latest attack on Mr MacSporran and the anti-corruption body he leads.
Cr Tate has had his own interactions with the CCC in the past, but no charges have been laid and the mayor has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
In his latest spray, Cr Tate said: “The allegations against the CCC are significant and more disturbingly, they are growing by the day.”
“The chair (Alan MacSporran) is now in an untenable position. He simply must stand aside while the inquiry occurs,” he said.
“This is the exact level of accountability he demands of elected officials. My message to the chair is: you must hold yourself to the same standards.”
Cr Tate echoed claims the CCC has been “accused of taking a partisan position when investigating allegations against Logan City Council”.
“Worse still, the latest allegation is that the CCC actually assisted a self-declared whistleblower (former Logan CEO Sharon Kelsey) in her unfair dismissal case,” he said.
“These allegations cut to the core of our democracy and frankly, I’m surprised the chair has to date refused to stand aside.’’
In April, Mr MacSporran defended the CCC’s investigation into the Logan councillors.
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“There has been some criticism levelled at the CCC for charging these individuals, and questions raised as to the validity, legitimacy and propriety of the CCC’s investigation,” he said.
“The CCC has at all times acted within the bounds of its powers and jurisdiction when assessing the allegations, when conducting the investigation and when deciding to charge the subject officers.”
Cr Tate said he backed the LGAQ’s calls for a public inquiry into the CCC allegations.
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Cr Tate ramped up his demand for CCC chairman Alan MacSporran to be stood down after Logan councillors were cleared of fraud by a court on Wednesday
Cr Tate, who was investigated by the CCC and cleared last year after an 18-month probe, said believed the organisation need to held accountable for its failures as well as its successes.
“Looking at what’s happening, there is no doubt the CCC has overstepped its original set up as the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) from the 1990s in the aftermath of the welcome work on the Fitzgerald Inquiry, he said.
“But as we look at the behaviour of the CCC chairman, the focus now seems to be getting on the front page of newspapers and I feel it has lost its way.
“I stand with the Local Government Association in saying it needs to be reformed with greater levels of accountability because we need to know who is watching the watchdog.
“This requires a bipartisan solution with both the government and opposition in a unity ticket and if there is not, then support should go to the party which wishes for accountability.”
The LGAQ has called for an inquiry into the CCC’s handling of the Logan case and insisted greater accountability was needed.
A state government spokeswoman said the CCC was under review.
“The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee has permanent oversight of the CCC,” she said.
“The Committee is in the process of its Five-Year Statutory Review of the CCC.
“It has held public hearings and taken submissions and will report by the end of the financial year.
“Anyone can approach the committee at any time with concerns about the CCC including anyone with a complaint about the handling of a case. As (the Logan) matter is still a matter for the CCC, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Gold Coast-based Opposition Leader David Crisafulli was approached for comment but the LNP instead issued a statement attributed to opposition integrity in government spokeswoman Fiona Simpson saying the CCC “was a matter for the government”.
Cr Tate last week called for Mr MacSporran to be stood down after a long-running case against former Logan councillors was dropped for lack of evidence.
“It’s ironic that the CCC chair is always the one talking about a presumption of innocence being a barometer for fair justice. Well, let’s stand him down now and give him his day of reckoning sometime in the distant future,” he said last week.
“It seems all OK for the CCC to take years to investigate issues so let’s apply those same principles – and timelines – to this disgraceful behaviour meted out on the Logan council.
“What happened in Logan is nothing short of contemptuous. I’m glad to see it’s stopped raining in Logan now that the CCC aren’t peeing on people’s lives. The chair is the one feeling wet right now and he needs to be stood down.’’
Mr MacSporran hit back at Cr Tate, calling his comments “vulgar” and “unbecoming of an elected official”.
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