Pyne has his own tips for Manning

CAIRNS MP Rob Pyne has fired off some criticism of his own after Mayor Bob Manning accused him of abusing the “coward’s castle” of parliamentary privilege.

Cr Manning last week suggested Mr Pyne was stirring up controversy about alleged widespread corruption in local governments to make a name for himself.

“He’s basically come out in the Cairns Post and said, ‘Call me out, you’re a coward’,” Mr Pyne said. “Well I’m calling him out. “It’s not the mayor’s age. It’s the fact his ideas are so old.

“He lacks any vision for our city or progressive policies.

“Other cities around the state are moving forward while he’s stuck in the 1950s.”

Mr Pyne objected to Cr Manning’s Unity team accepting donations from developers, which is legal in Queensland.

An online log reveals not one Cairns Regional Council meeting has passed since the election without at least one member declaring a conflict or material personal interest – but no breaches were found.

“That practice of taking donations from property developers and their consultants is something that is illegal in NSW, it should be illegal here,” Mr Pyne said.

Cr Manning did not comment except to say: “Rob’s got an election coming up. I wish him all the best.”

Mr Pyne claimed the council had a history of pushing out workers under controversial circumstances and applying gag orders to stop them going to the media.

He added there should have been more public discussion about the council’s bungled rollout of a new computer system worth millions of dollars, revealed by the Cairns Post in May after a right to information request, rejection from the council and a subsequent appeal to Queensland’s Information Commissioner