Donations slow to register

paul.weston@news.com.au 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES HOST CITY

Under state law failure by a councillor to record a donation of more than $500 on their register within 30 days of receiving it can lead to a potential fine of up to $11,300 or, if intentionally done, a four-year ban from office.

A Right to Information investigation by the Bulletin reveals the donations not recorded were from fundraisers in the lead-up to the poll on March 19 last year.

Councillor Gates told the Bulletin: “I did make an error. It was upon receipt of legal advice that candidates did not have to make a declaration until weeks after the election.

“However (as I discovered later) candidates are different from councillors who must declare within 30 days. I wrote to the Deputy Premier to admit I made an error. It was corrected at the end of 2015.”

The Bulletin asked Cr Caldwell why his council register did not include any of his donations, including one from the developer Kornhauser.

“All my donations are disclosed in my ECQ return,” he replied, and did not make further comment. 15

Cr Caldwell was the only one of nine councillors re-elected at the March elections last year not to make his records available voluntarily to the Bulletin.

The Bulletin later asked the council to provide the Register of Interest for those councillors in office previously but that request was later denied.

A Right To Information request asked for the Register of Interests for all councillors covering the period of that council term – from April 28, 2012 to March 19, 2016.

Documents obtained under RTI reveal Cr Caldwell recorded only one donation from two residents – F and M Illich.

Separate to the gift register for councillors, they must like all candidates who stand in local government elections provide a disclosure return to the Electoral Commission of Queensland.

Donations of $200 or more must be disclosed within 15 weeks after polling day which are then made public.

Cr Caldwell’s Disclosure Return was an exhibit when he gave evidence at last week’s Crime and Corruption hearing and it shows eight donations worth a total $20,500, given 30 days before the poll.

Several donations were from development groups or representatives and banked during June 2015.

In his evidence at the CCC hearing, Cr Caldwell admitted he had received a donation from the developer Kornhauser and made the appropriate declaration when its project in his division was discussed by council. Cr Caldwell said that in doing so he believed he had dealt with the matter in a transparent manner.