CCC finds election laws were breached

LAWS covering local government elections were breached in last year’s poll, according to the state’s corruption watchdog.

Crime and Corruption Commission chair Alan MacSporran QC said Operation Belcarra – the probe into last year’s Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Logan council elections – had discovered a “flawed” system and the watchdog would make a series of recommendations to improve transparency.

“There were, I think it’s fair to say, some breaches of the Acts identified,” he said.

But Mr MacSporran, who fronted the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee yesterday, said prosecutions from the probe into the elections were unlikely.

“The whole purpose (of the hearings) is to expose what we say is a pretty flawed system and to get it fixed,” he said.

Mr MacSporran said the process of putting political donations through an independent body without the knowledge of candidates was problematic.

“That really, to be honest, is a nonsense for me,” he said.

“It’s just a device to give the appearance of transparency but doesn’t achieve the purpose.”

It comes as Logan Mayor Luke Smith is due to front a public hearing of Operation Belcarra today over his campaign’s fundraising for last year’s mayoral election, which was done through an independent company Logan Futures.

Operation Belcarra is expected to finalise public hearings this week before making its findings public.

Mr MacSporran said the CCC also had concerns about candidates failing to disclose political party or team memberships and who donations were coming from.

“It’s all about being transparent about what associations there are and what connections there are,” he said.

Mr MacSporran also said some Corrective Services Department staff may be involved in smuggling drugs into prisons and flagged possible investigations into the issue.

“The prevalence of such substances inside the prison, it is difficult to understand how that could happen without the involvement of some staff members – but I hasten to add that there’s no direct evidence of that.”

Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan said the Government expected the highest levels of integrity from prison staff.

“I am advised by Queensland Corrective Services custodial staff are regularly searched, with their property searched each time they enter a correctional centre,” he said.

Committee chairman Lawrence Springborg said the easy access to drugs in the state’s prisons was “completely and absolutely unacceptable”.