Charges cause for concern

ALLEGATIONS of fraud levelled at a Palm Island Aboriginal Council employee are deeply concerning.

John Mugambi Mwamba — the deputy chief officer and director of financial services for the council — has been arrested on 24 charges of fraud.

While his case still has to go through court and his guilt or otherwise has not yet been established, the allegations will rock the small council and surely lead to further scrutiny.

It’s been a horror few of years for local governments across Queensland and this latest scandal comes amid seemingly never-ending Crime and Corruption Commission investigations of other councils, particularly in the southeast corner.

The Queensland Government tried to respond to allegations of wrongdoing at councils such as Ipswich and Logan by launching Operation Belcarra in 2017.

Nine days of public hearings were held into issues related to corruption and integrity in local government and the testimony was enough to make your blood boil.

The investigation of some allegations continues.

On the face of it, Operation Belcarra’s 31 recommendations aim to stop the rot in local councils by improving on their legislative framework.

The unfortunate repercussion has been in some instances councils find the new framework difficult to apply.

But the saddest part is that those who wish to bend the rules continue to find a way to get what they want.

No amount of legislation seems able to protect ratepayers from the corrupt actions of a few.

Palm Island is so isolated and its issues seem so far removed from politicians’ daily concerns it rarely rates a mention.

But the level of alleged offending in the case of this Palm Island Aboriginal Council employee merits immediate State Government scrutiny and investigation until ratepayers are reassured all operations are above board.