Community can guarantee future of diligent reporting

I WOULD like to congratulate the Bulletin on its excellent coverage of the CCC’s report revealing alleged meddling by the chief of staff in council business.

The community would never have known about this alleged massive breach of corporate governance had it not been for the diligence of reporters such as Paul Weston – beginning with the Right to Information requests back in 2017.

Corruption has been exposed recently in several local government areas in southeast Queensland and beyond, most of it closely connected with property development, where the financial stakes are so high.

Those who complain about the Bulletin’s online paywall need to realise that with falling income from advertising, the paper can only continue to provide highquality investigative journalism if it is supported by the community.

In fact, the NZ and the UK governments are so concerned with the potential for corruption in local government due to the decline of media coverage of councils that they provide grants to help pay the salaries of journalists in regional areas. This is a program that should be replicated in Australia.

Without the Bulletin, the ABC and no doubt some brave whistleblowers, the CCC would never have investigated the City of Gold Coast.

In echoing the recommendations of the CCC, the Bulletin’s editorial says it loud and clear – the CEO must not be impeded in his or her role by either the Mayor or the chief of staff.

SUE DONOVAN, PRESIDENT, THE MAIN BEACH ASSOCIATION MAIN BEACH