TRANSPARENCY A GOLDEN RULE FOR LOCAL COUNCILS

NO other level of government has been more proactive in giving practical effect to the principles of transparency and openness than local councils in Queensland.

We believe there is one golden rule to observe when it comes to the conduct of candidates at local government elections and the behaviour of councillors once elected by their communities: transparency is paramount.

Councils value scrutiny and understand the obligation to be accountable.

This staunch support for increased transparency in local government elections is the attitude that the LGAQ has taken throughout the Crime and Corruption Commission’s very thorough and, we believe, necessary Operation Belcarra investigation.

The LGAQ also supported the Government’s decision to introduce real time disclosure of electoral donations as an important step towards increased openness.

We welcome the CCC report and look forward to working with the State Government to ensure its legislative response is fair.

In this respect, there are two proposals we cannot support: a ban on campaign donations from property developers and a return to empowering councils to exclude councillors with a conflict of interest from council meetings.

Banning donations from categories or classes of donors such as property developers, unions and so on is discriminatory.

Prohibition rarely works because it drives activity underground.

We believe regulation and transparency is the answer, not prohibition.

Developer donation bans in New South Wales, the only state in Australia with such bans, have been a proven failure.

A 2016 ICAC investigation exposed the channelling of funds to the NSW Liberal Party’s 2011 state election campaign with the intention of evading the ban on donations from property developers.

The previous Bligh Labor government amended the Local Government Act in 2011 to remove the power of councils to force councillors with a conflict of interest to leave council meetings because it was open to abuse, with some councillors using it to gang up on their political opponents.

But we are not against measures to increase transparency and accountability: far from it. Earlier this year, the LGAQ called on the Government to make candidates publish a register of interests at the time they nominate for election.

We welcome the fact that this proposal has been picked up by the CCC. In light of the issues canvassed during Operation Belcarra, the LGAQ wrote to the Government last month proposing a system of campaign spending caps for local government elections as another step towards ensuring transparency.

We look forward to working with the State Government on these issues.

But we will continue to push for changes that are fair to all.