Jackie Trad defends call to anti-corruption boss over investment property

Queensland’s powerful Deputy Premier defends phone call to state’s anti-corruption boss.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad faces rising pressure over an investment property scandal.

Queensland’s powerful Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has defended her Sunday phone call to the state’s anti-corruption boss, just days after her investment property purchase was referred to the watchdog.

Ms Trad is under increasing pressure over the scandal, after it emerged her husband bought an inner-Brisbane investment property in March that stood to rise in value due to Ms Trad’s signature infrastructure project, the Cross River Rail.

The Deputy Premier has apologised for failing to publicly declare the property — bought through a family trust of which she is a beneficiary — has promised to sell the Woolloongabba house for no profit, and has referred herself to the CCC.

At budget Estimates yesterday, Ms Trad revealed she had called Crime and Corruption Commission boss Alan MacSporran on his mobile on Sunday, just two days after Opposition leader Deb Frecklington referred the investment property scandal to the CCC.

In a radio interview this morning, Ms Trad defended her call and denied it was an attempt to influence Mr MacSporran. She said she was calling to tell him she would be referring herself to the CCC on the same matter.

“It was a matter of courtesy,” Ms Trad told ABC Radio Brisbane.

“I think it’s only courtesy for the Deputy Premier to inform the head of the CCC that a submission of self-referral would be forthcoming in a matter of hours, in relation to an issue that was playing out pretty publicly and frequently.”

She said it was “over-reach” to suggest that Mr MacSporran could have been open to influence.

Ms Trad again defended the purchase of the house, which she said her husband had informed her about “by text message” before buying the $700,000 near the planned Boggo Road station of the Cross River Rail.

“I’m entitled and my husband is entitled to do with our income what we choose to do, as everybody else is entitled to do it,” Ms Trad said.

Asked why she did not seek Integrity Commissioner advice before the purchase, Ms Trad said: “I wasn’t actually involved in the purchase of this property, so I wasn’t at the time alive to it.”

She then clarified she did know about the purchase. “He did tell me that he was interested in a property, he sent me a text message about it. It was at a time that a lot of other things were happening, I trust my husband, he manages his income in the way that he decides.”

Ms Trad will fly overseas for a long-planned post-budget investment roadshow on Friday to London, Paris and New York.