Meet Townsville City Council’s new appointed adviser John Oberhardt

One of Queensland’s most experienced local government experts has been appointed to help guide Townsville City Council back to stability after months of turmoil and controversies. Learn more about him here.

Senior civil servant John Oberhardt has been named as a special adviser to Townsville City Council. (Inset photo: LinkedIn/John Oberhardt)

One of the state’s longest-serving local government experts will face his toughest test yet after being named to advise Townsville City Council in a bid to get the organisation back on track after a gruelling six months of controversy.

Senior civil servan John Oberhardt, who spent 33 years at Logan City Council before finishing up as the Chief Operating Officer in 2017, has been named as the man who will attempt to ensure the council operates effectively.

Department of Local Government Director-General Mark Cridland confirmed the appointment in the Local Government Gazette and said Mr Oberhardt would operate in the role from October 7, 2024, to April 7, 2025.

It’s possible for his initial six month appointment to be extended, if it is needed.

John Oberhardt during his time as deputy CEO at Logan council in 2009.

Following several high-profile revelations about how Mayor Troy Thompson had misled the public on his education achievements and military service record, Mr Thompson faced a vote of no confidence from his fellow councillors and is the subject of an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commision.

Mr Thompson then lashed out a number of times on social media at acting CEO Joe McCabe, with several discredited accusations that the acting CEO had undermined Mr Thompson’s authority and leaked confidential documents.

The mayor then threatened to write to then local government minister Meaghan Scanlon and ask for her to dissolve the council if councillors didn’t agree to a list of twenty demands, including their support on a vote for a previously rejected mayoral adviser on an estimated $175,000 salary.

The ongoing disunity prompted Ms Scanlon, early in September, to demand the council ‘act like adults’.

“What I would say more broadly is what I just said previously, we’re all adults, my expectation is all elected officials do their job and represent the people they do their job for,” Ms Scanlon said at the time.

A letter from Director-General Cridland to Mr McCabe and Mr Thompson confirmed the move on September 5.

Mr Oberhardt also spent six years at Redland City Council as Director of Corporate Services and has since operated as a local government consultant and executive adviser.

Mr Oberhardt describes himself on LinkedIn as someone who ‘knows the business of local government intimately’.

Mr Thompson has until October 22 to fully respond to Ms Scanlon’s show-cause notice of a 12-month suspension, which she and Premier Steven Miles put in place before the government went into caretaker mode.

Originally published as Meet Townsville City Council’s new appointed adviser John Oberhardt