Former south-east Queensland councillors who believe they were "victims" of the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) say the resignation of its chair does not go far enough.
Russell Lutton and Trevina Schwarz were sacked, along with the entire Logan City Council in 2019, after they and several other councillors — including the mayor — were charged with fraud by the CCC.
Almost two years later, all eight councillors had their charges dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Their case is one of more than a dozen failed prosecutions brought on by the CCC in the past 12 months, which prompted a review into the organisation by the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee (PCCC).
After a highly critical PCCC report was released late last year, and another high-profile court matter collapsed last week, CCC chair Alan MacSporran revealed yesterday he would stand down from his position.
Mr Lutton said Mr MacSporran should have stood aside after the CCC failed to build a case against him.
"It was something that should have happened a while ago," he said.
Mr Lutton said the government needed to conduct a "full-blown" inquiry into the actions of Mr MacSporran as well as the CCC's function.
"What they have done to us, and others, is bordering on corruption … we are victims," he said.
"You need a commission that is corruption-free itself, not a commission that acts on whims or lack of evidence."
Former Logan City councillor Trevina Schwarz said she felt relieved that Mr MacSporran was leaving, but that this would not repair the trauma she and her colleagues experienced.
"The damage and torture that has been done to innocent people should never ever happen in this day and age, ever," she said.
Ms Schwarz echoed calls for an inquiry, and said she wanted to see structural and cultural change at the "highest level" of the CCC.
"I truly hope that gets rectified, but it's going to take an extraordinary person, and some very intense governance and oversight to ensure that change does happen.
"They need to investigate what else has happened within the CCC to ensure it doesn't happen again," she said.
Speaking in Townsville, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reiterated that she did not ask Mr MacSporran to step aside, despite repeated pressure for her to do so.
"This is a serious matter. It's a serious decision and it's a decision that he has made. That is up to him," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was still "carefully considering" the PCCC report, which made several recommendations, including a commission of inquiry into the CCC.
"The government response is due in March, so we're well within our time frames," she said.
In the meantime, Ms Palaszczuk said, the state should have "absolute confidence" in the CCC.
"Of course they can, and we've always respected the CCC in this state."
QUT School of Justice adjunct professor John Mickel, who is also a former Labor speaker, said there was something "seriously wrong" with the CCC at present, particularly its process for laying charges.
"I think internally having that interplay between themselves and the director of public prosecutions needs to be examined," he said.
Dr Mickel said all sides of politics need to work together when considering the "serious recommendations" made by the PCCC.
"It wouldn't hurt for the government to include the opposition in its source of people who could put input into that," he said.
"Making sure you've got all parties in the political process feeding into the reforms."
