Paul Tully motion to ‘gag’ Ipswich mayor Teresa Harding tabled

The Ipswich mayor says councillors are trying to “gag’’ her in an unprecedented move which another southeast mayor fears will “send a chill’’ through Ipswich’s economy.

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding says the motion is political payback. Picture: Supplied

Ipswich councillors have paved the way to “gag’’ mayor Teresa Harding from speaking out about important issues in an unprecedented move which a fellow southeast mayor fears will “send a chill’’ through Ipswich’s economy.

Ms Harding has lodged a complaint with Local Government Minister Ann Leahy about the dramatic motion, which came after a similar move last year by the same councillors to remove the mayor as chair of the Local Disaster Management Group.

Ms Harding blamed the latest action on political rivals following her efforts to stamp out alleged former “integrity failures’’.

In what was believed to be an unprecedented move by a Queensland local government, six out of nine Ipswich councillors tabled the motion, on January 28, including high-profile rival Paul Tully.

It would mean Ms Harding could no longer speak on behalf of council on major matters, with committee chairs instead becoming the lead spokespeople.

The motion would come into effect when passed, which could be at any future council meeting.

Ms Harding would still be able to issue media releases, speaking as the mayor, but that could expose her to complaints to council watchdog the Office of the Independent Assessor.

Logan Mayor Jon Raven said he was not concerned about similar tactics but criticised the motion.

“Mayors are the spokespeople for their city and are chosen by the community. Motions like this undermine people’s confidence in all local governments,’’ he said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this motion sends a chill through Ipswich’s economy.’’

Ms Harding took to the airwaves on Tuesday morning to blast those behind the motion.

“I fail to see how this motion is serving anyone other than Councillor Paul Tully,’’ she told 4BC.

“They’re removing the powers of the mayor by stealth. If you want to be the mayor, run for mayor and let the people decide.

“I think it’s undemocratic and it’s disgusting.

“I’ve certainly notified the local government minister that this is under way.

“I certainly have showed her the current policy and what is proposed, so we’ll see what happens.”

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding says rival councillors are trying to gag her. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

Mr Tully did not indicate his reasons for tabling the motion when asked for comment.

“The motion was not moved and has been deferred until a future meeting,” he said.

The Local Government Association was contacted for comment. A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman declined to comment.

Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said councillors had asked that, as mayor, he be the primary spokesperson for the city but was confident for them to deputise when needed.

Redland Mayor Jos Mitchell said the Ipswich motion was an attack on the role of mayors.

“The concern here is about more than whether the mayor speaks on a particular issue or not,” she said.

“It’s about the precedent it sets for all councils, that the mayor’s power can be stripped away by a majority of councillors simply because they think the community picked the wrong mayor.’’

University of Queensland political expert Graeme Orr said it did not appear to be a gag.

“Calling it that is adopting her (Ms Harding’s) framing of it,’’ he said.

“Like all councillors, she’d remain free to comment on or criticise council affairs, provided in that criticism she makes clear she is not speaking on behalf of the majority of council.

“Like all councillors, she is meant to ‘provide high quality leadership and be accountable to the community’ — meaning all councillors have the freedom to speak sincerely and broadly.

“A council could authorise chairs of committees to speak ‘for’ the council on those areas of responsibility, for example parks or libraries.

“If every council did this in good faith, we’d return to an older, more collegial, or cabinet style, of local government.’’

But Griffith University associate professor in politics Paul Williams said the changes did not seem to “pass the pub test”.

Dr Williams said Australians expected their leaders, including mayors, to “speak on any matter”.

Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully. Picture: Ipswich City Council

Ms Harding said she was not aware of any other example in Queensland politics where a mayor had been gagged by another councillor from speaking to their community on behalf of council.

“This is an extraordinary political attack aimed at gagging a mayor from representing the council and community they were democratically elected to lead,” she said.

“This motion would effectively remove me from any media statement or response to a media inquiry that relates to the decisions or business of Ipswich City Council.

“While I would continue to be able to make media comments in my own capacity, this motion would gag me from speaking on behalf of council.

“What we are seeing here is a motion designed to strip me of my role of representing council and the Ipswich community in the media, and a blatant abuse of the powers entrusted to councillors.’’

Ms Harding said she believed the motion was payback for her criticism of “integrity failures” that previously existed in the city and which led to the entire council being sacked by the state government seven years ago.

Mr Tully was one of the current councillors to lose their jobs after two mayors and several city officials were charged. He has never been accused of any wrongdoing.

In 2022, he faced a backlash after trying to block Ms Harding from renaming the (Councillor) Paul Pisasale bridge, which was named in honour of the jailed former councillor.

Originally published as Paul Tully motion to ‘gag’ Ipswich mayor Teresa Harding tabled