Gympie council’s transparency election promise falling well short

A repeated election promise of greater transparency in Gympie Regional Council is not being kept, with a troubling trend under Glen Hartwig’s leadership of secrecy and omission.

A 2020 election promise of greater transparency at Gympie Regional Council is shaping up as hollow as details continue to remain behind closed doors.

The refusal to release a redacted version of the investigation into Mayor Glen Hartwig’s conduct is the latest in a troubling trend of secrecy and omission within the halls of a council elected on an undeniable platform of being more transparent.

Mr Hartwig was recently found to have engaged in inappropriate conduct following a narrow vote among the five councillors able to remain in the room.

Two of the five councillors (Bob Fredman and Hilary Smerdon) voted against accepting the report’s findings, as was their right.

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The public has a right to make its own judgment on such decisions.

But it’s impossible to do so with key details of the complaint locked in the vault despite there being clear arguments it shouldn’t be.

Gympie council’s refusal to release a redacted copy of an investigation into inappropriate conduct by Mayor Glen Hartwig is the latest in a troubling trend of vanishing transparency. Picture: Patrick Woods.

One of these arguments is a recommendation from a parliamentary inquiry into the state watchdog handling such complaints.

This recommendation, which is not yet law, was for substantiated investigation reports to be published with appropriate redactions.

The council, when asked if it would consider releasing the report in light of this said it is “legislatively not required to publish substantiated investigations”.

Far from taking an opportunity to be proactive and lead the way, the council has instead opted for the bare minimum on transparency.

But there are questions on whether it’s clearing even that low bar.

The council’s workshops are one of only two chances each month to watch the elected body in action.

In 2021 Gympie council was criticised for keeping a report on the Rattler behind closed doors despite “nothing in (it) requiring that confidentiality”.

But since the 2020 election – at which transparency was a huge platform – almost a quarter of these have been entirely confidential, with nothing discussed in the portion open to the public.

This is significantly higher than the rate of entirely confidential workshops during the last council’s tenure which was zero.

This isn’t the only transparency issue Mr Hartwig has on his hands.

In May 2021 the council chose to keep a report about the Mary Valley Rattler behind closed doors.

Councillor Dan Stewart was among those to challenge this, saying there was “nothing in the report that required that confidentiality” and the decision was made to keep a co-operative relationship with the Rattler.

Note state legislation outlining the rules on when councils can lock the doors doesn’t include a “to play nice with others” clause.

Since the March 2020 election almost one in four of Gympie council’s monthly workshops have been entirely confidential, a stark comparison to its much-maligned preceding council, where every workshop had at least one item open to the public.

As to the actual confidentiality of the reports, as the Information Commissioner says: stamping a document “confidential” does not make it so.

Not to be outdone, in September a report outlining a planned deal between the council and the Rattler to wipe almost $1m of debt was first scheduled for debate in open council.

It was shifted behind closed doors after The Gympie Times reported on the deal.

Yes the council has released some things, like its latest abysmal staff survey.

But it was a Right to Information fight with The Gympie Times in 2019 and 2020 which made it clear the public had every right to these reports in the first place.

No doubt the council will continue to crow about being more transparent than its predecessor.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding – and the pudding is starting to taste sour.

Originally published as Gympie council’s transparency election promise falling well short