Road rorting claim denied
CHARTERS Towers Regional Council has denied allegations by One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts that it has been involved in corrupt activities involving roads contractors.
The Queensland senator made the sensational claims in federal parliament accusing six councils, including Charters Towers Regional Council, of “encouraging a system where contractors fraudulently make unreasonable profits on road building”.
He has called for a Senate inquiry. Charters Towers Regional Council CEO Aaron Johansson said the council had nothing to hide.
“Charters Towers Regional Council refutes the claims made by Senator Malcolm Roberts in regard to utilisation of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements funding,” Mr Johansson said.
“All contracts for NDRRA related works have been undertaken legally through established and industry
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts.
accepted procurement processes. Furthermore, council has fully complied with the expending and acquittal of all funds in accordance with NDRRA guidelines and obligations.”
Senator Roberts alleged that corruption in Queensland local government was ripping off millions of dollars of Commonwealth and state taxpayer and local ratepayer money.
“Government- provided taxpayer moneys are redirected, not spent on their intended purposes, not spent at all or corruptly provided to persons in exchange for overvalued materials and service,” Senator Roberts told the Senate.
He said the NDRRA funding, 75 per cent of which comes from the federal government and the remainder from the states, was co-ordinated in Queensland by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Emergency Management Queensland.
“Councils regularly rort this arrangement with the assistance of the Local Government Association of Queensland, the LGAQ, through several of its business entities, including Local Buy,” he told the Senate.
Senator Roberts singled out Tablelands, Central Highlands, Fraser Coast and Charters Towers regional councils, as well as Carpentaria and Cook shire councils.
Mr Johansson said should Senator Roberts be successful in his calls for a Senate inquiry the council “will be fully supportive of it”.