CCC chairman Alan MacSporran to stand aside in Jackie Trad probe

Crime and Corruption Commission Chair Alan MacSporran says putting together an IKEA bookshelf is more difficult than dealing with the Jackie Trad complaints which have been referred to the CCC. He made the comments after revealing what Ms Trad told him when she called.

Crime and Corruption Commission Chair Alan MacSporran says putting together an IKEA bookshelf is more difficult than dealing with the Jackie Trad complaints which have been referred to the CCC.

The CCC boss made the comments after revealing at today's State Parliament estimates hearing 'I was putting together an Ikea bookcase in my trackie pants' when the Deputy Premier called him before referring herself for investigation by the CCC into the purchase of a house near Cross River Rail.

Outside the Budget Estimates hearing he made the tongue-in-cheek comment saying “IKEA is far more difficult than this I can assure you'.

Mr MacSporran revealed what Ms Trad said during the call and does not think her phone call has compromised the integrity of the body in any way.

Mr MacSporran said Ms Trad called his business mobile.

“I was putting together an Ikea bookcase in my trackie pants. I was grateful for the distraction,” he told the hearing of the Sunday call.

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“It was clear to me that it was in fact… a courtesy call to let me know that she was self-referring.”

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Alan Macsporran will stand aside in the Trad probe Pic Annette Dew

He said Ms Trad told him she was also preparing documents for the CCC and also wanted to know if a press conference she was planning to hold would compromise anything.

‘The call lasted three, maybe five minutes. I made no notes as there was nothing to note.”

He said as promised the documents were delivered to the CCC by a solicitor on the Monday.

Mr MacSporran said a six-member executive leadership team would now handle the assessment and any potential investigation.

But he initiated he would have been just one voice on that team should he not have stood aside.

“Although I am the head of the organisation and I take that very seriously, I am but one small cog,” he said.Mr MacSporran referred to an earlier phone call made by Ms Trad as contact made over a Budget funding matter.

It came as MacSporran earlier said he would wait until today’s Budget Estimates hearing to respond to criticism of a call Ms Trad made to him just days after the LNP had complained over her husband’s purchase of a Woolloongabba investment property.

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The $695,000 property is located along the $5. 4 billion Cross River Rail route — Ms Trad’s key project — sparking potential conflict of interest allegations.

The LNP has written to Mr MacSporran requesting a Queen’s Counsel take over the handling of the referrals to the CCC instead.

Ms Trad referred herself to the CCC a day after making the call to Mr MacSporran.

She has insisted it was simply a courtesy call and nothing untoward.

Jackie Trad

Alan MacSporran

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has so far refused to guarantee she will stand Ms Trad aside from her role as treasurer and deputy premier should the CCC decide to launch an investigation, saying yesterday it was “not at that stage at the moment”.

“I don’t even know if it’s under assessment yet. It’s just been forwarded so I’ll wait to see what the information is,” she said.

“At the moment it hasn’t even been assessed, so let’s wait and see where it’s at.”

Ms Trad also yesterday refused to guarantee if she will voluntarily stand aside, insisting she would respond if an investigation was called.

“Let’s deal with that if it happens,” Ms Trad said.

“All of the matters are before the CCC. I will let them do their job.”

Transport Minister Mark Bailey was yesterday officially handed responsibility for Cross River Rail with Ms Trad withdrawing from any decision making on the project until the integrity scandal is resolved.

He was previously temporarily stood aside from cabinet amid a State Archivist and CCC investigation in 2017 about his use of a private email account before he was ultimately cleared of corrupt conduct and reinstated.

Opposition justice spokesman David Janetzki said Ms Trad had put Mr MacSporran in an untenable position when she called him on the weekend.

“I don’t question the integrity or the independence of Mr MacSporran,” he said.

“What I doubt and question is the integrity of Jackie Trad.”

Originally published as CCC chairman Alan MacSporran to stand aside in Jackie Trad probe

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