The Crime and Misconduct Commission is disappointed that the State Government has chosen to reject or significantly amend its major recommendations designed to improve the integrity of local council elections.
The Commission has examined a summary statement released yesterday by Local Government Minister Desley Boyle following the CMC’s report into its investigation of the Gold Coast City Council 2004 election.
The report recommended new disclosure provisions, in particular pre-election disclosure of gifts received by candidates.
The government has rejected this as ‘not workable, not equitable and would place a huge burden on council CEOs to administer.’
It is acknowledged that it is the State Government’s decision whether to implement the CMC’s recommendations, but the Commission is concerned that, without any form of pre-election disclosures, the problems that occurred in the March 2004 Gold Coast City Council election, and similar problems disclosed in the 1991 CJC report, will be repeated in the future.
To reject these major recommendations entirely will leave council elections open to the same problems that the CMC’s public inquiry uncovered in 2005.
ENDS
