Head of Office of the Independent Assessor confirms she won’t renew her contract when it expires in Oct

Queensland’s Inaugural Independent Assessor, local government watchdog Kathleen Florian, will not seek a renewal of her contract when it expires, it has been confirmed.

Head of the OIA Kathleen Florian, Parliament House. Picture: Liam Kidston

Local Government watchdog Kathleen Florian, Queensland’s Inaugural Independent Assessor, will not seek a renewal of her contract when it expires.

The Courier-Mail understands Local Government Minister Steven Miles is seeking a replacement for Ms Florian who departs in October.

Ms Florian denied suggestions she was pushed out.

“This has been my decision alone,” she said.

“I have had no discussion with the Deputy Premier before or after I advised him in writing on 8 June 2023 of my intention to not reapply for the position at the end of my contract.

“I thank Deputy Premier (Miles) for his support of the Office of the Independent Assessor budget and staffing.

“Without this commitment, and the work ethic and commitment of the OIA’s dedicated staff, it would not have been possible to address increased complaint volumes, remove backlogs and reduce timeframes.”

The OIA was established in 2018 in the turmoil following the sacking of Ipswich City Council.

The OIA has been under attack for more than two years by mayors and councillors who complained they had to wait months, sometimes years, to be cleared of allegations brought against them by political opponents.

Last year Ms Florian was criticised personally by LGAQ president and Sunshine Coast mayor, Mark Jamieson.

Ms Florian has a long history of investigating professional misconduct complaints, major crime and corruption.

Before her appointment as the OIA Ms Florian was the Executive Director of Investigations at the Office of the Health Ombudsman.

She also worked at the Crime and Corruption Commission as Assistant Commissioner (Crime), Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ordinary Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner (Misconduct).

Her CV says she was earlier the Queensland State Manager of the Australian Crime Commission “leading national intelligence and investigation programs to help inform the development of tailored prevention strategies”.

Ms Florian has also worked as a senior legal counsel at the National Crime Authority (NCA) and was a legal officer at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Qld).

Ms Florian holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Originally published as Head of Office of the Independent Assessor confirms she won’t renew her contract when it expires in Oct