Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s purchases under CCC scrutiny

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has bizarrely used lyrics by Taylor Swift and Elton John to dismiss findings by the corruption watchdog that his use of ratepayer funds may have amounted to misconduct.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is the subject of a scathing CCC report.

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate has invoked the lyrics of Elton John and Taylor Swift in responding to a Crime and Corruption Commission report that found questionable use of ratepayer funds by his office.

Asked if he would recontest the mayoralty at the March council elections, he told a media conference this afternoon, “I am standing, yeah, yeah, yeah,” in a nod to the Elton John hit I’m Still Standing.

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Asked if the controversy would cost him votes, he said: “What did Taylor Swift say? Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.

“Well mate, last election I got 73 per cent (of the vote).”

Cr Tate said the report was an A-plus because it had cleared the council of corruption.

“Top marks to the CCC,” he said.

It was revealed today ratepayer funds had been used to buy $1000 worth of selfie sticks for Cr Tate’s office and his daughter.

Almost $4500 worth of luggage, $500 headphones and a Gold Coast Titans membership were also bought with ratepayer funds, the report found.

It found Cr Tate may also have committed misconduct by using ratepayer funds to make tens of thousands of dollars in charity donations, and referred him for possible disciplinary action.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate responds to CCC report @GCBulletin pic.twitter.com/XMW1w070R9

— Andrew Potts (@GCS_Pottsy) January 24, 2020

The report — handed down today following a lengthy probe into allegations of corruption at the Gold Coast City Council — has criticised and his stood-down chief-of-staff Wayne Moran but stopped short of identifying corruption.

The CCC investigation, dubbed Operation Yabber, revealed “questionable” spending by the Mayor and his office including $998 for two selfie sticks for Cr Tate’s office and his daughter, authorised by Mr Moran.

Cr Tate repaid the council for his daughter’s selfie stick two months after it was bought in March 2017, the report found.

It found Cr Tate had sought out-of-pocket expense or used a council staffer’s corporate credit card to buy three suitcases valued at more than $1400 each, including one in Shanghai.

“In most cases the luggage expenditure was approved by either the (council) CEO or the chief financial officer,” the CCC found.

“The CCC understands that the GCCC has since amended their policy to provide clear guidelines on expenditure items in future.

Mayor Tom Tate may have engaged in misconduct

“Other questionable items of expenditure included memberships to the Gold Coast Titans, watch batteries, $500 head phones, home media equipment, and a full business Internet service.”

The CCC also found that Cr Tate had breached council policy by using ratepayer funds to donate more than $20,000 to charity, including $2500 to buy a table at the 2016 Gold Coast Mayoress Charity Ball organised by his wife Ruth.

“The legislation in relation to councillor misconduct is clear,” the report states.

“A councillor who contravenes policy in relation to the reimbursement of expenses commits misconduct. In this case, evidence exists of Tate using official expenditure for making donations up to ten times the amount permitted under policy.

“On this basis the CCC believes there are sufficient grounds for the OIA to consider disciplinary action against Tate concerning the allegation relating to the donations, and to consider further investigation in relation to the other items of expenditure, and has referred the matter accordingly.”

Cr Tate has called a media conference for 3pm to respond to the report.

He has previously declared he will re-contest the mayoralty at the March council election.

Originally published as Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s purchases under CCC scrutiny