Council CCC bombshell report: spotlight on Mayor and chief of staff

The State corruption watchdog has delivered a bombshell report on the Gold Coast City Council, putting the spotlight on Mayor Tom Tate’s relationship with his chief-of-staff Wayne Moran.

Wayne Moran and Tom Tate at the Mayor's Office in Southport in 2018. Picture: Jerad Williams

THE State corruption watchdog has delivered its report on the Gold Coast City Council, spotlighting Mayor Tom Tate’s relationship with his chief-of-staff Wayne Moran.

The Crime and Corruption Commission recommended stricter governance around the role and performance of political advisers appointed to local councils.

The recommendations were from Operation Yabber, an investigation into allegations of corruption in the Gold Coast City Council.

In a report tabled in Parliament today, the CCC drew attention to the potential for politically appointed advisers to council to compromise the efficient and effective carrying out of council business.

Operation Yabber highlighted three areas of concern for the CCC:

* Failures to declare and properly manage conflicts of interest, particularly those involving the Mayor’s Chief of Staff in relation to private companies.

* The Mayor’s intervention in a disciplinary process to effectively protect the Chief of Staff from disciplinary action initiated by the CEO, and

* The manner and nature of the interaction of the Chief of Staff with other council officers with respect to the carrying out of council business.

Wayne Moran and Tom Tate pictured in the mayor’s office in 2012.

Mr Moran is currently stood down on full pay from duty pending an investigation by council. The council has previously refused to comment. Councillor Tate and CEO Dale Dickson are understood to be preparing statements today for public release.

CCC Chairperson Alan MacSporran QC said integrity in local government has been a focus of the CCC for some considerable time and Operation Yabber identified the need for further reforms to reduce corruption risks.

“Local councils are responsible for providing us with important services and infrastructure that we use every day, and I know the community wants those services delivered within a framework of ethical decision-making, good governance and accountability,” Mr MacSporran said.

“Whilst Operation Yabber did not identify such serious and systemic issues found in recent CCC investigations into other councils, it did once again highlight the impacts of not properly declaring and managing conflicts of interests.”

CCC Chairperson Alan MacSporran QC. Picture: AAP.

The report identified the risks involved when political staff and advisers, whether at the urging of a mayor or councillor or on their own initiative, inappropriately interfered in council business.

To ensure stricter governance and accountability in local government, the CCC is recommending amendments to the Local Government Act 2009 that will:

* Clarify the responsibilities of mayors and councillors for the management of their staff/advisers and their adherence to codes of conduct, and

* Ensure that mayoral directions (under section 170 of the Act) cannot be used to undermine the authority of chief executive officers to carry out their responsibilities.

No criminal charges have resulted from Operation Yabber. The CCC has referred some matters relating to the Mayor of the Gold Coast City Council to the Office of the Independent Assessor.

The CCC said it was important to note that no adverse inference should be made about these matters whilst they remain unresolved.