Annastacia Palaszczuk refuses to back ‘biased’ CCC chief Alan MacSporran

Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to back corruption watchdog boss Alan MacSporran, who is facing pressure to resign after a scathing parliamentary report.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to back CCC chairman Alan MacSporran. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to back corruption watchdog boss Alan MacSporran, who is facing pressure to resign after a scathing parliamentary report found his organisation was biased in the failed prosecution of seven Logan councillors.

As recently as October, Ms Palaszczuk had enthusiastically supported Mr MacSporran and his position as chairman of the Crime and Corruption Commission.

However, on Friday she was at pains to avoid endorsing him and carefully dodged questions about his ongoing tenure while calls grew for his resignation.

Asked if she still backed Mr MacSporran, Ms Palaszczuk said: “I have confidence in having an anti-corruption watchdog in this state. It is one of the hallmarks that came out of the Fitzgerald Inquiry and it does serve our state very well but these are serious matters and I am not going to comment any further until we have looked in detail at the report.

“The report made no findings against a particular individual. The findings talked largely about cultural issues, but as I said they are very serious issues,” she said.

In fact the report specifically found that Mr MacSporran personally failed to ensure the organisation acted “independently and impartially”.

“That failing is serious and reflects poorly on the CCC,” it said.

The CCC issued a statement on Thursday saying Mr MacSporran would continue to lead the organisation, which is facing cultural reform and potentially a full commission of inquiry based on recommendations of the parliament­ary inquiry.

The inquiry was instigated after fraud charges against seven Logan councillors were dropped by prosecutors in April, two years after they were controversially laid by the CCC. It led to the councillors being dismissed under Palaszczuk government legislation.

The CCC had alleged the councillors had sacked the council’s chief executive, Sharon Kelsey, out of revenge after she turned whistleblower against the mayor, Luke Smith. Critics maintained that the CCC was interfering in an industrial dispute, and after 10 days of hearings, the parliamentary committee agreed. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli on Friday said Mr MacSporran’s leadership was untenable.

“It is imperative that the CCC is seen to be beyond reproach,” he said. “Given the damning nature of the report, I think it is fair and reasonable to enact an immediate change in leadership and culture at the CCC.”

Trevina Schwarz, one of the seven councillors charged by the CCC in its failed Logan investigation which sparked the inquiry, called for the Palaszczuk government to apologise for their dismissal. “The CCC should be practising at the highest level and they have failed unequivocally,” Ms Schwarz said. “The CCC has enacted a grotesque injustice and abuse of power.”

On Friday, the Local Government Association of Queensland’s policy executive – a body of mayors and councillors representing the state’s 77 councils – passed a motion of no confidence in Mr MacSporran as CCC chair.

LGAQ president and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the local government sector could not have confidence in the CCC until Mr MacSporran accepted responsibility and stood down.

“For the CCC to issue a statement yesterday in defiance of these findings is offensive and concerning,” Mr Jamieson said.

“It puts the future of this critical watchdog in jeopardy when the chair should at all times be acting to protect its legacy. The committee found the CCC acted outside of the laws that govern it,” he added.

Additional reporting: Lydia Lynch