Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson under fire for social media conduct

Queensland’s council watchdog has advised Townsville’s embattled mayor Troy Thompson to reacquaint himself with the code of conduct after multiple complaints were lodged concerning his use of social media.

Troy Thompson has adress complaints made about his social media conduct.

Queensland’s council watchdog has advised Townsville’s embattled mayor Troy Thompson to reacquaint himself with the code of conduct after multiple complaints were lodged concerning his use of social media.

The Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA) confirmed it received three complaints that raised concerns about the Mayor’s conduct on his social media account.

One complaint claimed that Mr Thompson had blocked residents and deleted comments that were neither inappropriate nor disrespectful, nor did they contain intimidating or bullying content on his ‘Mayor Troy Thompson’ Facebook page.

In a notice of assessment and decision related to that complaint, the OIA indicated that while the matter “on a purely technical basis” could be considered a conduct breach, it had opted not to pursue disciplinary action, citing its obligation to consider the overall public interest.

An OIA spokeswoman stated that all three complaints were thoroughly reviewed, but ultimately, the decision was made to provide Mayor Thompson with a recommendation rather than disciplinary action, as outlined under section 150SD (4)(c) of the Local Government Act 2009.

“This is usually provided if it’s a first instance of this type of complaint for a new councillor,” a spokeswoman said.

“On this basis, it was recommended that the Mayor review the Councillor Code of Conduct, in particular the standards of behaviour and the guidance material.”

The OIA specifically recommended that Mayor Thompson remind himself of the standards of behaviour councillors must adhere to, which include treating people in a “reasonable, just, respectful, and non-discriminatory way.”

In response, Mr Thompson took to his Facebook page on Friday, framing the OIA’s decisions as a “rejection” of the complaints against him.

“The Mayor maintains that he is always in compliance with the rules and that these and all other outcomes by the OIA so far are a clear indication of the Mayor complying at all times,” the post read.

“While the Mayor encourages transparency, the Mayor also encourages people who dislike his content to simply look away.

“There is no need to refer seemingly reasonable comments and posts to the OIA and to chew up their precious resources. That is petty. Especially as they have more relevant things to investigate such as the conduct of councillors and their use of unlawful tactics and rules to bypass state laws.” 

It comes after revelations he made false claims about his military history, which prompted Townsville city councillors to unanimously vote for a motion urging Queensland’s local government minister to suspend him on June 5.

He is also being investigated by the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) but no findings have been made.

Originally published as Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson under fire for social media conduct