More property strife brews for Trad

Embattled Deputy Premier will have to face the State Parliament’s powerful ethics committee over her failure to disclose property.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad will face Queensland’s powerful ethics committee. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Queensland’s embattled Deputy Premier and Treasurer, Jackie Trad, will have to face the State

Parliament’s powerful ethics committee over her failure to disclose the purchase of a house close to a major public transport project she was overseeing at the time.

The Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Curtis Pitt, revealed on Friday night he had decided to refer Ms Trad to the committee to examine allegations she had failed to comply with her obligations to declare the house purchase in her register of interests.

The Deputy Premier has been battling a storm of criticism since it was revealed her husband has bought the Woolloongabba property for $695,000 in March this year. The house was likely to have increased significantly in value since it was near the $6 billion Cross River Rail project, which she was overseeing at the time, and also in the catchment for a new inner-city primary and secondary school.

She sold the house for an undisclosed sum after the purchase was revealed. A Crime and Corruption Commission investigation found there was no evidence to pursue Ms Trad

for corrupt conduct but said the allegations should be considered by the Parliament.

Mr Pitt confirmed the committee move last night, saying “I have reached the conclusion that there are sufficient questions of fact to be determined against the evidence such that it would be prudent to refer the matters to the Ethics Committee for further consideration.

“I also wish to stress that I have not taken this decision lightly, and I have given this decision lengthy and serious consideration.”

Mr Pitt said he had decided to refer the allegations to the ethics committee despite Ms Trad writing to him last month saying he should take no further action because she had publicly apologised.

However, he said the Deputy Premier had failed to apologise to the Parliament despite the House sitting for three weeks since her public apology in September.

“Had the Deputy Premier made an apology in the House, similar to the one she made outside the House on 6 September 2019, I would have been comfortable in ruling that an adequate apology has been made and the matter does not warrant the further attention of the House.”

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said Ms Trad’s position as a key decision maker was untenable while the committee went about its investigation.

“This has never happened before in Queensland politics and shows how deep the integrity crisis goes in the Palaszczuk government,” she said.

“It is now another test of leadership for the Premier, she must finally act and sack dodgy Jackie Trad.”