Teary apology from mayor

Antonio makes admission in council in response to misconduct

TOOWOOMBA Mayor Paul Antonio fought back tears as he was forced to apologise for his misconduct over his Inland Rail dealings.

Cr Antonio delivered the apology yesterday, where he again affirmed his decision that paying for the development of an alternative route for the Inland Rail on behalf of a farmer near Millmerran was not out of self-interest.

Cr Antonio owns a basalt quarry that runs near the line, and did not disclose the commissioning of the map to councillors at the time.

“My actions were not to serve my own personal interests and I have in no way intended to benefit personally or professionally from it,” he told his councillors at the ordinary meeting.

“I commissioned and paid for the proposal with the sole intent to help a local constituent to preserve fertile agricultural land, the loss of which I believed would’ve had a devastating effect on him, his family and others in my area.”

The local government review panel last month ruled he had engaged in three acts of misconduct relating to the concealment of the map, his voting on the Inland Rail at a council meeting in 2016, and his responses during a September 2017 ABC interview about the matter.

While apologising for the error in not declaring his ownership of the quarry to the council, he again defended his intentions as altruistic.

Cr Antonio also addressed the ABC interview, saying he didn’t respond to the questioning from journalist Dominique Schwartz with his “usual celerity and frankness”.

“The panel had concluded that my lack of candour during the interview amounted to a breach of trust placed in me as a councillor,” he said.

“If this is the case, I sincerely apologise.”

Cr Bill Cahill, who had submitted a complaint about Cr Antonio’s conduct, rose to move a new motion requesting the council remove the mayor as the spokesman for all matters regarding the Inland Rail.

No one seconded the motion and it lapsed, which Cr Cahill later described as “interesting”.

“It begs the question - is there anything else we don’t know about?” he said.

Cr Cahill’s motion incensed colleague Cr Joe Ramia, who defended the mayor after the meeting.

“After 25 years in council, I was utterly and bitterly disappointed that a colleague could dump what he did on the Mayor,” he said.