Gold Coast councillor Brooke Patterson calls out ‘absurd’ complaints amid $140k ratepayer bill

Gold Coast ratepayers have forked out $140,000 to fund multiple conduct investigations into just one councillor, as she calls for an urgent shake-up of the system.

Councillor Brooke Patterson says most of the 20 allegations against her over the past 12 months had been dismissed.

A Gold Coast City councillor who has been subjected to multiple conduct investigations costing ratepayers more than $140,000 has called for an urgent shake-up of the council complaints system.

Cr Brooke Patterson said councillors who tried to stand up for their communities were being “nitpicked” and risked becoming “subservient robots” to council bureaucrats.

The feisty Southport representative lashed out after a string of formal complaints against her, the latest resulting in three of four allegations substantiated and a formal reprimand ordered.

It comes after Cr Patterson issued a public apology in March following an independent investigation which found she was aggressive towards council staff and had tried to influence a work experience selection process.

In June, Premier David Crisafulli vowed to overhaul controversial council conduct watchdog the Office of the Independent Assessor, saying a flood of petty complaints was driving good local government representatives out of office and stripping mayors and councillors of their powers.

He ruled out scrapping the OIA but pledged reforms to protect councillors from “silly games” and reputational hit-jobs.

Cr Patterson said the current conduct complaints process was costly, cumbersome and a risk to the integrity of the electoral process.

Under the system, councillor conduct complaints are referred to the OIA which assesses them and can either dismiss them or refer them back to the council for what are often lengthy and costly investigations.

Cr Patterson said most of the 20 allegations against her over the past 12 months had been dismissed but ratepayers had been slugged more than $140,000 for the investigations.

She said she had been investigated over issues including publicly raising concerns about how a new double-sided flag was created to be handed out at citizenship ceremonies, defending the use of cash at council swimming pools and publicly mentioning road safety issues on a new council project.

She said other Queensland councillors had also been subjected to “absurd” complaints, including Coast Mayor Tom Tate who was investigated last year for jokingly calling flame-haired fellow councillor Joe Wilkinson a “ranga”.

“Do we value having elected representatives who stand up, however they think they can to represent a community, or would we prefer a clean and polished elected rep who’s effectively reciting what bureaucracy creates for them?” she said.

Cr Patterson said it was particularly concerning that repeated councillor conduct complaints could be considered misconduct, with potential penalties including fines, council meeting bans and even forced resignations.

“I’m a reasonable person and recognise I am not without flaw – but this process does not serve anyone. Our current OIA system is unlike anything used for state or federal representatives,’ she said.

“It actively precludes the opportunity for a standard mediation process instead placing legal costs on our ratepayers.”

Cr Patterson said the logical solution would be to offer conflict resolution at the outset of a dispute.

She also said the current process risked interfering with the electoral cycle.

“We have fixed four year terms, where everyone can get out and let their councillor know whether they’ve fought hard enough for the community to deserve another go,” she said.

“That doesn’t give anyone free reign on how they behave in office, but the current system risks scrutinising elected officials so much they become subservient robots to an overly regulated bureaucracy that limits them from advocating for and listening to their local neighbourhoods.”

Originally published as Gold Coast councillor Brooke Patterson calls out ‘absurd’ complaints amid $140k ratepayer bill