A north-west Queensland mayor who was found guilty of misconduct by failing to declare a conflict of interest says "unclear rules" in local government make it easy for councillors to slip up.
Cloncurry Shire Mayor Greg Campbell was fined $500 for failing to declare a personal interest when council awarded a $1 million contract to excavation company KJW Contracting to fix flood-damaged roads back in 2019.
Cr Campbell had used the company for personal projects in the past through his beef cattle business Cairo Pastoral Company, and failed to declare a potential conflict of interest.
The Councillor Conduct Tribunal found Cr Campbell was not impartial when he participated in the decision making process at a council meeting and had engaged in "reckless" conduct.
Rules unclear
Cr Campbell said he was the victim of incomprehensible processes.
"Contrary to what the tribunal has said, the rules around this are anything but clear," he said.
"We've had senior people from the local government at a council meeting struggling to agree on how to enforce the rules properly.
Cr Campbell said he was seeking legal advice on the tribunal's decision.
"I'm definitely not trying to get out of my responsibility and I believe I always hold myself to a high standard," he said.
"But I was confident that I wasn't impaired in my judgement during that decision."
He is calling for an adjustment to make it easier for councillors to know when they are in the wrong.
The tribunal also referred a "questionable invoice" to the Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland (CCC) after Cr Campbell admitted to filing the invoice as a "favour" to KJW Contracting.
"I will just continue to cooperate with these organisations and see what they want to know," Cr Campbell said.
"It's also important to note that the $500 fine I think does reflect the low severity of this issue.
Cr Campbell grew up in Cloncurry and was first elected to council in 2004. He has held his role as mayor since 2016.
