Qld politics: Deb Frecklington won’t say if she approached John Sosso

Queensland’s Integrity Minister has refused to say if she approached director-general John Sosso before his controversial selection for a post.

Attorney-General and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington

• Editorial: So much for accountability

Attorney-General and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington has refused to say if she approached director-general John Sosso before appointing him to redraw Queensland’s electoral boundaries.

There is no public record of Ms Frecklington meeting with Mr Sosso, and she has declined to confirm if he had expressed prior interest in the role.

Government documents show Ms Frecklington did meet with Queensland Supreme Court Chief Justice Helen Bowskill on February 24, who she later confirmed she consulted with before deciding esteemed barrister Gregory Koppenol be appointed as one of three chairs on the Queensland Redistribution Commission.

Ms Frecklington then met with Queensland Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen – the QRC chair – two days later on February 26.

She also met several times with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, the minister of Mr Sosso’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.

Following a meeting with Mr Bleijie and ministerial staff on February 12, another meeting was held with both Mr Bleijie and Premier David Crisafulli on February 13.

On February 28, Ms Frecklington met with Mr Crisafulli, Mr Bleijie and Treasurer David Janetzki.

On no occasion was Mr Sosso’s presence recorded.

The Courier-Mail asked Ms Frecklington if Mr Sosso had expressed interest in the QRC position, or if she had approached him.

John Sosso (left) with Jarrod Bleijie

Those questions went unanswered, with a spokeswoman for her office instead stating that all three nominees were beyond reproach.

“The appointments follow the Electoral Act requirements for the Queensland Redistribution Commission with a retired judge, a senior public servant and the electoral commissioner,” she said.

In a 2011 interview published online, Mr Sosso revealed he was unwittingly appointed to help the 1987 Fitzgerald inquiry.

“I was away sick at the time and the attorney-general nominated me as secretary to this commission of inquiry which I certainly didn’t want to do,” he said.

“I didn’t want to do it because it was highly controversial, it would have been difficult... and I wasn't feeling very well at the time.

“It was an interesting show. I didn’t last too long.”

Opposition Leader Steven Miles has demanded Mr Sosso recuse himself from the position after corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald voiced concerns over his appointment.

“It’s concerning that Mr Sosso has not answered questions or removed himself from the process,” he said.

Labor has put forward a list of 44 other candidates it would support to replace Mr Sosso, arguing his affiliation with the LNP, including working as a director-general for Mr Bleijie under the Newman Government, did not

The state government has repeatedly defended the nomination, noting Mr Sosso had worked for both sides of government during his more than four decades in the public service.

Originally published as Qld politics: Deb Frecklington won’t say if she approached John Sosso