Watchdog complaints highlight tension within Cairns Regional Council
The bitter divide between Cairns Regional Council’s elected officials has been exposed with the number of complaints lodged to the state’s watchdog in the last financial year revealed in its annual report.
The bitter divide between Cairns Regional Council’s elected officials has been exposed with the number of complaints lodged to the state’s watchdog in the last financial year revealed in its annual report.
A dozen complaints were referred to the Office of the Independent Assessor by councillors, the Mayor and chief executive in 2024/25 which was double the amount of referrals made by local government officials last year and the highest since 2018/19.
In total, the council recorded the fifth highest number of total complaints in Queensland with 67 last year, trailing only Redland, Townsville, Logan and Southern Downs’ councils.
Of the more than 1000 complaints received by the OIA, 48 per cent came from the public with the remainder coming from a mix of the local government sector, councillors or lodged anonymously.
The numbers are in contrast to Mayor Amy Eden’s “Team Cairns” declaration upon being elected in 2024, when Ms Eden vowed to deliver stable and transparent governance for the region.
But Ms Eden denied that a high volume of complaints reflected tension within the council.
“Team Cairns is our whole city, our people, our businesses, our advocates, and our council,” she said.
“We are very much working together for Cairns’ best future.”
In July, the Cairns Post confirmed that OIA investigators had conducted interviews at the council regarding Ms Eden’s role in appointing her former campaign adviser, John Andrejic as acting CEO last year.
When contacted, the OIA has refused to comment on the investigation but the protracted process, eventually lead to the appointment of current CEO Ken Gouldthorp which remains a point of friction between the Mayor and councillors.
In a statement, Ms Eden said the current system was flawed and prone to being misused with Premier David Crisafulli pledging to make amendments.
“There is a widely held view across local government that the OIA and the complaints process it administers require urgent review,” she said.
“The Premier has vowed to undertake that review.
“Until that review is complete and improvements are implemented, I don’t think too many conclusions can be drawn.
“The Premier himself has acknowledged that the system can be open to misuse, and that petty or politically motivated complaints have come at a cost to good governance and public confidence.”
Independent Assessor Bronwyn Blagoev highlighted the tremendous backlog the OIA is facing at a parliamentary committee hearing in August, with the office receiving more than eight times the complaints that it is designed to process.
“If the vexatious complaints weren’t being made, then the others would be dealt with more swiftly and investigated properly,” Division 5 councillor Rob Pyne said.
“Justice delayed is justice denied and these issues need to be sorted quickly.”
Councillors will meet for an ordinary meeting on Wednesday.
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Originally published as Watchdog complaints highlight tension within Cairns Regional Council
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