LNP campaigner and ex-MP Julian Simmonds gets government role

The Crisafulli government did not advertise for a new CEO for Economic Development Queensland before giving the taxpayer-funded job to a former LNP federal MP.

Former Australian PM John Howard on the campaign trail with the then-LNP MP for the federal seat of Ryan, Julian Simmonds, at the 2022 federal election. Picture: Sarah Marshall

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The Crisafulli government did not advertise for a new chief executive officer for Economic Development Queensland before giving the taxpayer-funded job to a former Liberal National Party MP who ran an expensive coal-backed campaign advocating for the government’s election.

Less than an hour before the Easter long weekend started, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced he had appointed Julian Simmonds as acting CEO of the EDQ, the government’s property development agency.

Mr Simmonds was an LNP councillor in the Brisbane City Council for nine years and then a one-term MP for the federal seat of Ryan, before losing the Brisbane seat to the Greens at the 2022 federal election.

Last year, he became executive director of conservative third party Australians for Prosperity (A4P), which ran a $526,000 advertising campaign against the Labor state government ahead of the October state election, telling voters they couldn’t afford to re-elect then-Premier Steven Miles.

Electoral disclosures show mining lobby group Coal Australia funnelled $725,000 in donations to A4P in the month before the Queensland poll.

The group is again actively campaigning against Labor, the Greens, and the Teals ahead of this weekend’s federal election, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on outdoor and online advertising.

Mr Bleijie’s announcement said Mr Simmonds would start as acting CEO of EDQ on April 22; but data from Meta’s ad library shows he was still authorising anti-Anthony Albanese election material as recently as April 26.

It is understood Mr Simmonds resigned from A4P on April 16.

Australians For Prosperity anti-Labor advertisement, authorised by Julian Simmonds, from April 26. Picture: Facebook

Debbie McNamara resigned as chief executive at the start of April.

A spokesman for Mr Bleijie confirmed the position was not advertised before Mr Simmonds was appointed. He did not explain how the former MP was chosen, nor whether it was appropriate given Mr Simmonds’ active role as a third party campaigner.

“Given the critical role Economic Development Queensland plays in tackling Labor’s housing crisis, upon recommendation of the Board, the government moved swiftly to appoint an Acting CEO after the position became vacant,” the spokesman said.

The EDQ has special planning and approval powers to create investment opportunities by unlocking land for private development.

Earlier this month, Mr Bleijie said he had accepted the recommendation from the independent board of EDQ.

Most of the board was appointed by the previous Labor government, except for Mr Bleijie’s director-general John Sosso and new Under-Treasurer Paul Williams.

The government’s recent appointment of Mr Sosso – a member of Mr Crisafulli’s transition to government committee – to the state’s electoral redistribution commission was criticised by corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald as representing a potential return to the “bad old days of biased electoral boundaries”.

Mr Simmonds did not respond to questions. The EDQ board says it will now start a national executive recruitment process for a permanent chief executive.

Board chair Brendan O’Farrell said Mr Simmonds’ “leadership and expertise across government and planning will be instrumental” to support the government’s goal of delivering one million new homes by 2044.