Lockyer Valley councillor Brett Qualischefski engaged in misconduct by taking photos of woman while she exercised

A Lockyer Valley councillor has been exposed after a tribunal found he was stalking a woman and secretly taking photographs of her while she exercised. FULL DETAILS.

Lockyer Valley Regional councillor Brett Qualischefski has been found to have engaged in misconduct by taking photos of a woman at a gym without her consent.

A Lockyer Valley Regional councillor has been reprimanded for engaging in misconduct after a tribunal was told he acted inappropriately by taking photographs of a woman while she exercised.

In a ruling released last month, the Councillor Conduct Tribunal found that first-term councillor Brett Qualischefski “failed to provide high quality leadership as required” when he took covert photographs of a woman as she exercised at a council-owned exercise centre.

The tribunal revealed that on three occasions between March 24 and April 1, 2021, Mr Qualischefski watched the woman exercise, and twice took photographs of her without her consent and sent them to another person.

The incidents took place less than 12 months into his term as a Lockyer Valley councillor.

On one occasion, the tribunal revealed that the woman noticed Mr Qualischefski watching her while she exercised, which led to her moving to another part of the gym, before Mr Qualischefski moved to the other side of a nearby window and took a photo of her.

Lockyer Valley Regional councillor Brett Qualischefski.

On another occasion the woman caught Mr Qualischefski “looking at her groin” while she was doing hip thrusts.

The tribunal’s findings detailed that the woman, identified only as Ms A, “felt sick in the stomach and anxious” as a result of Mr Qualischefski’s actions, and that she was unable to perform her normal exercise routine “because she did not wish to attract (Mr Qualischefski) attention by bending over or extending her buttocks while performing particular exercises”.

The matter was reported to police, and on April 20 2021, Mr Qualischefski was issued with a Notice of Adult Caution for the offence of unlawful stalking. No charges were laid.

In a statutory declaration Mr Qualischefski did not contest the misconduct allegations.

“The tribunal found the councillor, by taking photographs on various times and dates of a young woman undertaking a workout at a local gymnasium, without her consent, conducted himself in a manner that was unacceptable and inappropriate conduct by any adult person and particularly by an elected local government councillor appointed to represent the community interests,” the tribunal ruled.

Speaking to NewsCorp, Mr Qualischefski said he was extremely remorseful and embarrassed for his actions, which he described as an “act of stupidity”.

“I don’t think I have the words to express my remorse to the lady concerned, my colleagues, the community and my family,” he said.

“There was no malice intended, it was a totally stupid act, there’s no other way of putting it, I own that, and at the time what I failed to understand was that my obligation to the community as a councillor was 24/7, and that the things I did in my own time I’m accountable for as a councillor and as a leader, which has been made abundantly clear to me.”

Lockyer Valley Regional Council candidate Brett Qualischefski. Picture: Dominic Elsome

Mr Qualischefski claimed at the time of the incident he was a frequent gym user, and that an associate told him he “trained like a girl”, and should spend less time exercising.

“In pure stupidity I took a photo of the woman and said ‘girls train too’,” he said.

“Five days later he messaged again, once again commenting on being in the gym, and it happened to be the same lady near me so I took another photo and said that she was there too, trying to indicate that I wasn’t the only one at the gym all the time.”

In reference to the “hip thrust” incident, Mr Qualischefski claimed that he watched a number of people at the gym, male and female, to learn how to perform various exercises and use different pieces of equipment.

Mr Qualischefski said at no time did anyone at the gym make him aware that his actions made anyone uncomfortable, and that once the allegations were made he immediately cancelled his membership.

He also said he full co-operate with the tribunal’s investigation “from the very beginning and in every way possible”, and was accepting of their findings and punishment.

Despite the controversy, the rookie councillor said he had no intention of standing down from the role, and had plans to contest next year’s local government elections.

“I’d like to think that in the past two years I’ve worked extremely hard to build back some of that trust that’s been lost, and I enjoy giving back to the community,” he said.

“It’s not a question I take lightly, and I’ve thought long and hard but this is not a job for me. “Helping people is what I enjoy the most so for me it’s a calling, not a job.”

Lockyer Valley Regional Council mayor Tanya Milligan. PHOTO: Ali Kuchel

The Councillor Conduct Tribunal reprimanded Mr Qualischefski, ordered that he attend counselling sessions within 90 days of their ruling and reimburse the local government $2000.

Addressing the misconduct ruling, Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan said the council had urged the community member to go to the police and that referred the matter to the relevant body.

“Council is deeply embarrassed and severely disappointed by the conduct of one of our elected members,” she said.

“We know this reflects poorly on all of us – and I want to say while that suspicion is understandable, it is not justified. Overall, our team works in the best interests of the community with the highest integrity.

“On behalf of council, I want to acknowledge and apologise for the impact that the incidents and subsequent investigations have had on the woman, her family and the community.

“As a community leader I can say that no one should be subjected to stalking.”

Originally published as Lockyer Valley councillor Brett Qualischefski engaged in misconduct by taking photos of woman while she exercised