Logan City Council dismissed as Interim Administrator appointed

Retired senior public servant Tamara O’Shea has been appointed Interim Administrator of Logan City Council.

The appointment takes effect today and follows the dismissal of 13 councillors, prompted by an unprecedented integrity crisis in Logan.

“Dismissal is the only option available to me, given Logan City Council has lost its quorum and can no longer function effectively,” he said.

“With nine of its 13 councillors automatically suspended as a result of serious integrity charges, council no longer had sufficient numbers to conduct meetings.

“This had left Council unable to pass a Budget, appoint an Acting Mayor or pass a resolution to delegate matters to a standing committee or the CEO.

“I have not taken this action lightly and I want to stress that I had no choice but to intervene in the best interests of Logan residents.

“This action does not interfere with any current legal proceedings and let me be clear any individuals facing charges are innocent until proven guilty.”

Logan City Council has a quorum of seven councillors. With only four councillors remaining, it could not pass a resolution and there is no mechanism under the Local Government legislation which would allow this to occur.

Mr Hinchliffe said Ms O’Shea brought a strong set of capabilities to the role of Interim Administrator.

“Ms O’Shea is highly respected for her distinguished career as a senior public servant,” he said.

“Her skills as a senior executive administrator managing government interests in complex and rapidly evolving environments, while upholding high standards of ethical behaviour and high levels of business performance will be vital in this role.

“I look forward to working with her and I want to assure Logan residents all essential services will continue as usual.

“In the coming weeks, I’ll be appointing an Interim Management Committee, just as I did for Ipswich City Council to assist the interim administrator there to perform his responsibilities.

“It’s my intention to offer the four non-suspended councillors - Lisa Bradley, Darren Power, Jon Raven and Laurie Koranski - appointments to this Committee.”

Mr Hinchliffe said the Palaszczuk Government would continue to pursue a wide-ranging suite of local government reforms to increase transparency and accountability in the sector.

Media contact: Martin Philip 0427 919 548