Mayor Matthew Garwood wants Danny Gibson to resign

Pressure is once again growing on councillor Danny Gibson, who faces serious allegations, to resign. The latest.

Embattled councillor Danny Gibson is being urged to resign. Picture: Facebook

Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood has reiterated calls for embattled Councillor Danny Gibson to step down.

Allegations of serious misconduct have been levelled at Mr Gibson over the last few months as calls for him to resign as a councillor have been growing.

Mr Gibson resigned as mayor in 2023 after just seven months in the role, citing relentless attacks and speculation as making his position as mayor no longer tenable.

Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood. The Mercury Bush Summit in Launceston. Picture: Rob Burnett

At the time, Mr Gibson said that his decision stemmed from ongoing uncertainty over a Department of Justice review of his Working with Vulnerable People registration, which resulted in “vitriolic commentary on social media from some segments of the community”.

It’s been reported in the media on Tuesday that the Department of Justice threatened to cancel his registration to work with vulnerable people after a review deemed him an “unacceptable risk of harm”.

None of the allegations has resulted in criminal charges against Mr Gibson.

Mr Garwood said “it’s impossible for me to overstate how shocked and concerned we at the City of Launceston” regarding what was reported on Tuesday.

“Firstly, I want to make it very clear we support all victims and want their voices to be heard and action taken against perpetrators,” he said.

“The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse have demonstrated that organisations in a range of sectors have previously failed to safeguard children from abuse.

“Both inquiries found that poor organisational cultures and practices enabled abuse and hindered proper investigation and reporting.

“A fundamental cultural shift across the broader community is required to rectify these issues and, under our current leadership, the City of Launceston was the first Council in Australia to sign a statement of commitment to implementing and abiding by all recommendations coming out of these inquiries.”

Mr Garwood said that when the allegations of misconduct were made public, he told Mr Gibson his position “was untenable” and asked him to resign.

The mayor also said he expressed concern at the time that Mr Gibson refused to address the allegations.

“Councillor Gibson did not take my advice and remains a sitting Councillor.

“It is important for our community and ratepayers to understand that under the Local Government Act, the Council has no ability to remove Councillor Gibson, but today, I am reconfirming my view that Councillor Gibson’s position on Council is untenable.

“I believe it’s necessary that Councillor Gibson addresses these incredibly serious matters in his own time however he sees fit outside the responsibilities and leadership required of representatives of this community.

A state government spokesperson said it could not intervene in the matter.

“Local Government operates as a separate and independent sphere of Government and the Minister has no capacity to dismiss a councillor in these circumstances.”

The Mercury has contacted Mr Gibson for comment.