Jackie Trad wins taxpayer-funded fight to keep corruption watchdog report secret

The CCC report that investigated Jackie Trad won’t be released after the former Queensland deputy premier’s taxpayer-funded legal win.

Former Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad. Picture AAP

Former Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad has won her taxpayer-funded legal fight to keep secret a Crime and Corruption Commission report that investigated whether she inter­vened improperly in the appointment of a top public ­servant.

Ms Trad launched legal ­action in the Supreme Court last year to stop the public release of the CCC report that also investigated alleged politicisation across the state’s public service.

Judge Martin Burns dismissed her application at a ­Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday after all parties accepted that current state law did not allow for the report’s release.

It followed a High Court decision in September that muzzled the CCC from publicly reporting on most of its investigations into ­politicians and public servants.

Former Queensland public trustee Peter Carne won his protracted legal battle in the High Court to suppress a separate CCC report that detailed ­alleged wrongdoing during his time in the public service. His case set a precedent for Ms Trad’s matter.

After the High Court ruling in September, CCC chair Bruce Barbour wrote to the Palaszczuk government seeking urgent law changes to allow it to publicly release reports into Ms Trad and Mr Carne.

Premier Annastacia Palas­zczuk last week said the government was still considering legal advice and had not decided whether to change the law.

The CCC report into Ms Trad stemmed from a state opposition complaint in July 2020 alleging she had improperly interfered in the appointment of veteran public servant Frankie Carroll as her under-treasurer.

Completed in early 2021, the report is purported to be critical of how the Palaszczuk government dealt with the appointment of senior public servants.

Ms Trad, who lost her South Brisbane seat at the 2020 state election, is rumoured to be considering a return to politics in the federal sphere.

In a statement Ms Trad, who has denied wrongdoing, welcomed the outcome of her matter.

“The CCC’s unlawful conduct has had a significant impact on my political career and family over the past three years,” she said. “I am grateful there has been a clear and emphatic finding by the High Court of Australia and my hope is that others do not have to live through this experience.”

In her statement, Ms Trad also cited 2021 findings of a bipartisan parliamentary oversight committee that the CCC and its former chairman did not act impartially in the pursuit of eight Logan City councillors, whose fraud charges were later dropped.

At the time of the parliamentary committee’s report, the CCC had more than 20 failed prosecutions in three years.

Legal bills for Ms Trad were covered by the state government under legal indemnity provisions for ministers. The discretionary decision to pay for the legal action was approved by Ms Palaszczuk and ­former attorney-general Shannon Fentiman.

Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie said the government must change laws to allow the report to be released. “If you have nothing to hide, show everyone the report,” he said.