Queensland Premier Miles tells murder-accused councillor ‘likely suspension’ if he wins election
Premier Steven Miles has given a clear indication to murder-accused Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden about what will happen if he wins re-election to council in 2024. See the latest
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Queensland’s Local Government Minister is not ruling out extending the suspension of murder-accused Gold Coast councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden if he is re-elected in 2024.
And Queensland Premier Steven Miles is going even further, saying Mr Bayldon-Lumsden will “most likely” be suspended again if he wins again.
Mr Bayldon-Lumsden plans to stand again for Division 7 at March’s election, it was revealed on Friday and signalled on Friday if he won, he would fight against any ongoing suspension if that continued.
The 30-year-old is charged with the murder of his stepfather, Robert Lumsden, 58, at their Arundel home on August 23. His lawyer Jason Murakami, of Behlau Murakami Grant, has filed a plea of not guilty to the murder charge.
Mr Bayldon-Lumsden was suspended on full pay - more than $160,000 a year - from his council role in September by then-Acting Premier Steven Miles, acting on legal advice. If Mr Bayldon Lumsden is re-elected the state’s new Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon isn’t ruling out extending the suspension.
“If the case has not been determined by the election and he was successful, I may need to consider whether it is appropriate for him to be suspended further,” Minister Scanlon said on Friday.
Premier Steven Miles said: “I think the most likely scenario, if he were to win, would be that he would be suspended again and that community again would be without a representative.
“So I really urge him to put the community first.”
Fronting media on Friday morning to confirm his 2024 re-election bid, Mr Bayldon-Lumsden said accepting his suspension back in September was the “appropriate” decision at the time.
“(But) to be clear, if residents once again give me their trust and support to serve them once again, I will not be accepting of any further suspension from the Premier as the people will have spoken.
“Democracy requires once the people have spoken, their choice should be respected and I will take the appropriate steps to respect the people’s decision.”
Earlier, he said “overwhelming” community support convinced him to run again.
“It has inspired me and given me the resolve to seek to be their voice,” he said.
Mayor Tom Tate also weighed in with reaction, telling media: “He has the right to run, to put his name forward, and if he gets in I’ll be working closely with him to make sure his community is well looked after.”
Former councillor Margaret Grummitt has been appointed an advisor in Bayldon-Lumsden’s place while suspended - and councillors voted to appoint Mayor Tate in a caretaker role for Division 7.
Senior councillor William Owen-Jones posted to Facebook in his opinion it was “not the right thing” for Mr Bayldon-Lumsden to stand again.
“Presently ratepayers are paying both his wages and entitlements ($170,000-plus) and for the Minister’s appointed advisor ($120,000). If he wins, the division 7 community runs the real risk of not being represented by a divisional councillors an unknown period of time.”
Fellow Division 7 candidate Jenna Schroeder said: “For four months, Division 7 residents have not had a functioning representative in council – and the Gold Coast has been down a councillor to vote on citywide issues.”
Another seat candidate Edward Sarroff, son to former councillor Eddy Sarroff, said: “(The community) need a strong voice in council and they’re well and truly without it. We’ve got massive issues in the area and no one in city hall to talk about it.”
Councillors are getting a 6.1 per cent pay rise next year to more than $166,000 base salary.
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