Qld Deputy Premier Jackie Trad stands aside amid integrity probe
Annastacia Palaszczuk will act as Treasurer while her deputy faces a probe from the state’s corruption watchdog.
Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has stood aside from her ministerial responsibilities and leadership position, as the state’s corruption watchdog launches an investigation into her alleged interference in the appointment of a school principal.
Ms Trad – the leader of the state’s dominant Left faction – announced on Saturday that she would stand aside from her roles as Deputy Premier, Treasurer, and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.
“Late yesterday I was advised by the CCC [Crime and Corruption Commission] that they were conducting an investigation into the recruitment and selection of the principal of the Inner City South Secondary College,” Ms Trad said.
“I will co-operate fully with this investigation … let me be clear, no applicant to the principal position was known to me in any capacity. Personal, political or professional. Further, I have never expressed a view to anyone on who should fill that role. To ensure that this is not a distraction for the Premier, and the Labor government, I advised the Premier last night I would be standing aside from my ministerial duties until the investigation is completed.”
Ms Trad said she would still run for her seat of South Brisbane at the October 31 state election.
She declined to take questions.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed she will act as Treasurer until further notice, after the shock resignation of her deputy.
In a brief written statement, Ms Palaszczuk said: “Last night, the Deputy Premier advised me of her decision to stand aside while this investigation proceeds”.
“I accept that her decision is the correct course of action. I will be assuming her ministerial duties until further notice.”
The Opposition’s Jarrod Bleijie referred Ms Trad to the CCC late last year, over allegations she interfered in the appointment of the principal at the new school in her electorate.
Mr Bleijie alleged a whistleblower told the opposition an independent selection panel had picked one candidate for the job, who was asked to meet with Ms Trad, who is the local member, Deputy Premier and Treasurer.
The position was then readvertised and another person was eventually given the job.
Ms Trad has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
The Australian reported last week that the CCC’s probe was ongoing, but the CCC at that stage would not confirm whether it had advanced to an investigation.
Palaszczuk government ‘in chaos’
The decision will throw the government into chaos during an economic and health pandemic, Opposition MP Jarrod Bleijie said, with the loss of the Treasurer.
Mr Bleijie said Ms Trad should have resigned months ago, and Ms Palaszczuk was too weak to make a “decision on Ms Trad because that would put her own job in jeopardy”.
“Jackie Trad is a dodgy politician in Queensland, she thinks she can get away with this stuff and not be accountable to anyone, she’s dead wrong, and she’s been proven again to fall foul of the integrity standards a Minister should abide by,” Mr Bleijie said.
“It’s not good enough to just stand aside for the investigation.”
“I’ve written now four letters to the CCC with whistleblower information, and other information that’s come to light, Jackie Trad believes she’s all-powerful, and she has this born to rule mentality that she can meddle in the process of government, she can’t, and I think she should have made the decision to resign months ago.”
“The people who will lose out of this are Queenslanders in the midst of an economic and health crisis, the Treasurer is no more. More importantly this shows a rabble of the government and the chaos that reigns supreme in the Palaszczuk government.”
‘Enough is enough’
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington added to calls for Ms Trad to resign permanently, saying Queenslanders deserved more than a “temporary Treasurer” during an economic crisis.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to permanently sack Jackie Trad from the Cabinet,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Enough is enough is time for Annastacia Palaszczuk to show some leadership and lift her weak ministerial standards.
“Queensland deserves more than a temporary Treasurer especially during the coronavirus crisis.
“Jackie Trad is such a powerful figure any temporary Treasurer would just be Trad’s puppet.
“We need political stability during the coronavirus crisis; this is a chaos caused by Annastacia Palaszczuk’s weak ministerial standards.”
Ms Trad leads state Labor’s dominant Left faction. Ms Palaszczuk is the nominal head of the AWU Right faction.
As the numbers stand in the state Labor caucus, the Left has 23 MPs, the Right has 16, the small Old Guard faction (aligned with the Left) has eight MPs, and Maryborough’s Bruce Saunders is unaligned, after leaving the Left following a falling out with Ms Trad earlier this year.
Ipswich backbencher Jim Madden defected from the Right to the Left this week, aided by United Workers Union boss Gary Bullock.
Troubled Trad a headache for Qld Labor
Ms Trad was under assessment by the CCC for several months last year, after she failed to properly declare an investment property her family company bought close to a planned station of her signature infrastructure project, the $5.4bn Cross River Rail.
She did not stand aside during the assessment, which is a preliminary inquiry by the Crime and Corruption Commission before a possible investigation, or the person is cleared.
The CCC eventually cleared Ms Trad of corruption, but found she broke ministerial rules. The CCC also decided her conduct was not criminal, but should be, recommending the parliament introduce laws to make it illegal for ministers to fail to declare conflicts of interest in Cabinet meetings and fail to keep their registers of interest up to date.
The Palaszczuk government has yet to pass those laws, which have been introduced into parliament.
In the wake of the scandal, Ms Palaszczuk removed Ms Trad of her responsibility for the Cross River Rail project.
Factional wrangling
The Premier’s office has confirmed that Ms Trad has also stepped down as Deputy Premier, meaning a new MP will have to be appointed in the role, usually a decision of the Labor caucus.
The appointment will be a test of the factional balance in the party.
It would normally be expected that another Left faction MP would fill that role of Deputy Premier, with the most likely person being senior Left faction MP Steven Miles, the Health Minister.
But given Mr Miles has his hands full managing the coronavirus health crisis, it is possible it could go to Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones.
Ms Jones is a member of the small Old Guard faction, but since a union merger late last year created the super United Workers Union, a new power bloc has emerged in the caucus.
There are 18 MPs who are UWU members, as well as members of their own faction.
The Old Guard is aligned with the Left faction.
The Right’s Cameron Dick, the Minister for State Development, is another possibility, though it would be unlikely that the Left would allow two members of the Right faction to fill the two leadership positions of Premier and Deputy Premier.
Details of the allegations under investigation
Opposition Education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie wrote to CCC chair Alan MacSporran QC on November 28, asking him to investigate allegations of official misconduct against Ms Trad.
Mr Bleijie alleged a whistleblower had contacted the LNP and accused Ms Trad of interfering “with the independent recruitment process for the principal of the Inner City South State Secondary College”.
The college is a new high school in Ms Trad’s marginal electorate of South Brisbane.
Mr Bleijie asked for an investigation into revelations Ms Trad met the independently selected top candidate for the job of the college’s first principal.
The “highest-ranked candidate,” experienced principal Tracey Cook, was then dumped and another candidate appointed.
At the time the allegations came to light, the Education Department said the role was readvertised because new modelling showed the school was going to be bigger than first thought.
Ms Trad has strongly rejected any suggestion of interfering in the recruitment process.
Department of Education director-general Tony Cook was forced to issue a rare media statement at the time, stating he had been “advised that at no time did the Deputy Premier seek to involve herself in the selection decision-making”.
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. Ms Trad was again asked to meet the candidate, but could not meet her in person and instead spoke to her over the phone.
Other MPs in electorates where new schools are being built have not been given the opportunity of meeting the prospective principals.
CCC confirms investigation
Corruption watchdog the CCC has confirmed it is investigating allegations of corruption relating to the principal’s appointment.
“The Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) has determined it is in the public interest to confirm it is investigating allegations of corrupt conduct relating to a recruitment process for the principal of the Inner City South State Secondary College (ICSSSC),” the statement reads.
“It is important to note all allegations should be treated as unsubstantiated until a final outcome is reached.”
“Considering the investigation remains ongoing, it is not appropriate for the CCC to comment further on this matter.”
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