Jackie Trad’s legal fight to hit taxpayers with six-figure costs

Queensland’s corruption watchdog has revealed how much it spent to engage external lawyers to fight legal action brought by former deputy premier Jackie Trad.

The then Queensland deputy premier and treasurer Jackie Trad arrives for a press conference at Parliament House in 2020. Picture: AAP

Jackie Trad’s fight to suppress a Crime and Corruption Commission report is likely to cost Queensland taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, based on CCC costs alone.

The state’s corruption watchdog has revealed it spent $92,000 itself to engage external lawyers to fight action brought by the former deputy premier and treasurer, but the total taxpayer-funded legal bill is expected to be much higher because the state government decided to indemnify Ms Trad.

The discretionary decision to pay for the action, under indemnity provisions, was approved by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and former attorney-general Shannon Fentiman, a close Left factional ally of Ms Trad.

In 2021, Ms Trad sought a court order to block the release of a CCC report investigating allegations that she improperly interfered in the 2019 appointment of her under-treasurer, Frankie Carroll. Ms Trad has denied wrongdoing.

The CCC’s probe was later widened to investigate other senior public service recruitments back to when the Palas­zczuk government first took power in 2015 and alleged politicisation across the state’s public service.

Purported to be critical of the government, the report forced a 2021 internal directive that appointments should be “merit-based” and properly documented by selection panels.

In early October, Ms Trad won her battle to keep the report secret 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.

The CCC spent $572,000 on external legal costs during the Carne matter.

Ms Palaszczuk has so-far refused to commit to demands of the CCC for immediate law changes to allow the release of its reports into Ms Trad Mr Carne.

In a statement, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said final legal bill, including how much the CCC will have to pay to cover Ms Trad’s legal bills, was still being worked out.

“We have previously committed to releasing costs once they have been finalised,” she said.

The LNP last month introduced legislation which would force the release of reports into Ms Trad and Mr Carne. The draft laws, which will be considered by a parliamentary committee until April next year, will not pass without Labor support.

Deputy LNP leader Jarrod Bleijie accused Ms Palaszczuk of having an “obsession with secrecy”.

“This report has already cost Queenslanders enough and it’s time the government released it.

“Queenslanders deserve to know the truth. It’s time the Premier let the sunshine in.”