Sacked Burnside Council boss Paul Deb: It was expected that chief executives would use credit cards for expensive drinks and dinners

Sacked Burnside boss Paul Deb has defended the council’s lavish credit card spending, despite official findings it was unacceptable.

Former Burnside CEO Paul Deb. Picture: Sarah Reed

A former council chief executive has defended regularly using his corporate credit card on alcohol-fuelled lunches, expensive dinners and late-night drinking sessions, saying it is common practice across local government.

Sacked Burnside Council boss Paul Deb said it was widely expected that chief executives would use their credit cards to buy food and drinks for elected members, other council chief executives and external stakeholders such as lawyers and consultants.

Mr Deb was commenting for the first time since Ombudsman Wayne Lines released a report finding Burnside Council guilty of maladministration for allowing managers to use their credit cards to spend more than $37,000 on entertainment.

It is the third time council credit cards have been officially investigated in the past three years, with Onkaparinga, Playford, Charles Sturt and Coorong councils also criticised by Mr Lines or Auditor-General Andrew Richardson.

Credit card statements show Mr Deb spent more than $18,000 at various restaurants, hotels, bars and cafes between 2013 and 2017, while also using ratepayers’ money to regularly wash a Mercedes AMG C43 sports car provided by council.

“All of the expenditure on the credit card with my name was for the purpose of the business of council and not for personal gain and was accepted sector and industry practice,” he said.

“While the Ombudsman made certain determinations about the nature of the expenditures … there was an expectation, whether rightly or wrongly, by other chief executives, elected members and the local government community that this type of expenditure was acceptable.”

Mr Deb said he used his credit card to buy other council chief executives alcohol and food when they held meetings at restaurants, while councillors also received alcohol at ratepayers’ expense at hotels during working lunches and after council meetings.

“Elected members, including current councillors, expected lunches as did external stakeholders,” he said.

“There were dinners with council CEOs, former and current elected members, staff functions and industry or sector colleagues.

“Any drinking sessions were for business purposes and not personal benefit. They related to either meetings with other CEOs, former and current elected members of Burnside or other councils or associated with staff functions.”

Mr Deb said all of his credit card transactions were approved by former Burnside mayor David Parkin, and elected members had voted to provide him with the Mercedes to replace an Audi.

Mr Deb, who is suing the council for unfair dismissal, used his credit card to spend $60 each month on getting the cars professionally cleaned.

“Expenditure such as the cleaning and maintaining of council-owned vehicles was in line with the council’s requirements to keep all council vehicles well maintained, part­icularly for the purposes of maximising the resale value for the council’s financial benefit,” he said.

“In addition, I contributed financially towards the cost of the vehicles from a cash deduction from my salary.”

Burnside Council chief exec­utive Chris Cowley said the culture was “set from the top in an organisation”.

“My commitment is that ratepayer funds will only be used for genuine council business,” he said.

Mr Cowley said he had begun implementing 13 recommendations from Mr Lines to ensure policies were further strengthened.

“I will continue to embed and reinforce a culture which reflects the expectations of our community,” he said.

Originally published as Sacked Burnside Council boss Paul Deb: It was expected that chief executives would use credit cards for expensive drinks and dinners