Complaints still ‘a political weapon’ under proposed council changes: mayor

Concerns the council complaints process is being “used as a political weapon” are not adequately addressed in a raft of new changes promised by the Crisafulli government, according to one south-east Queensland mayor.

Redland City Council mayor Jocelyn Mitchell this month voiced fears the existing process lacked transparency, with the referral of anonymous complaints back to council meaning elected representatives could vote on complaints they had themselves lodged .

In a speech to the LGAQ Annual Conference on the Gold Coast on Tuesday, premier David Crisafulli announced a raft of changes to tackle concerns raised by local governments across the state.

Redland City Council mayor Jocelyn Mitchell. Credit: Jocelyn Mitchell

A proposal to “remove conduct breaches from the councillor