Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad questioned over school job

Jackie Trad has been referred to Queensland’s corruption watchdog, accused of misconduct.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad at Parliament House in Brisbane. Picture: AAP

Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has been referred to the state’s corruption watchdog, accused of official misconduct and interfering in a recruitment process for the principal of a new school in her electorate.

Opposition frontbencher Jarrod Bleijie wrote to the Crime and Corruption Commission on Thursday asking for an investigation into ­revelations the Treasurer met the independently selected top candidate for the job of foundation principal of the Inner City South State Secondary College.

The “highest-ranked candidate”, experienced principal ­Tracey Cook, was then dumped and the position readvertised.

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Ms Trad has strongly rejected suggestions she interfered in the recruitment process.

The Australian is not saying the allegations are true, only that there are calls for an investigation.

Department of Education ­director-general Tony Cook was forced to issue a rare media statement yesterday, insisting he had been “advised that at no time did the Deputy Premier seek to ­involve herself in the selection decision-making”.

Education Minister Grace Grace and Deputy Premier Jackie Trade with Inner City South State Secondary College foundation principal Kirsten Ferdinands.

He said while the panel had signed off on Ms Cook’s appointment, no offer was made because new demographic modelling indicated the new school would cater for more than 1600 students and be eligible for an executive principal position instead.

After another round of recruitment, executive principal Kirsten Ferdinands was selected by the same five-person selection panel, which included the general secretary of the Queensland Teachers Union, the president of the Queensland Secondary Principals Association, a senior education department ­official, the president of P&Cs Queensland, and the University of Queensland vice-chancellor. Ms Trad was again asked by the Education Department to meet the candidate. She was ­unable to meet Ms Ferdinands in person but spoke to her over the phone.

Other MPs in electorates where new schools are being built have not been asked to meet prospective principals.

Ms Ferdinands’s appointment was announced in a social media video — complete with Labor Party branding — on the Facebook pages of Ms Trad and Education Minister Grace Grace. The trio was pictured in front of the school, which is being built at ­Dutton Park in Ms Trad’s electorate of South Brisbane.

In an attack in parliament, Mr Bleijie said the ­allegations against Ms Trad would “amount to official misconduct” if proven, and “the Deputy Premier thinks she is above everybody in this house”.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander asked in question time: “If these meetings were not about interfering in the selection process, what on Earth were they for?”

Ms Trad responded that she was “incredibly proud” to have fought for the new school to help cater for her rapidly growing area and to take pressure off Brisbane State High, the largest high school in the country.

The opposition referred Ms Trad to the CCC this year after she failed to properly declare an ­investment property bought by her husband through their family trust. The three-bedroom Woolloongabba home was located near the proposed route of the state’s biggest infrastructure project, the Cross River Rail. Ms Trad was cleared of dishonesty and corruption, but stripped of her ministerial responsibility for the $5.4bn public transport project.

The watchdog recommended the government introduce criminal sanctions for ministers who failed to update their pecuniary ­interest register and did not ­declare conflicts to cabinet.

The legislation, introduced on Thursday, includes two new criminal offences carrying a maximum of two years’ jail for cabinet ministers who deliberately and dishonestly break the rules.