Livingstone Mayor Complaint Dismissed
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The Councillor behaviour watchdog, the Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA), has dismissed allegations of conflict of interest against Mayor Andy Ireland.
Allegations were made that, at a Special Council Meeting on 18 November 2021, Mayor Ireland failed to declare a conflict of interest when voting to support local business owners by writing to the Queensland Premier and asking for review of COVID-19 vaccination restrictions.
It was alleged that the Mayor owned a hospitality business which should have precluded him from considering and voting on the matter.
The OIA dismissed the complaint as the Mayor had, in fact, raised at an earlier Council meeting, the prospect of perception of conflict and asked for legal advice.
The legal advice, provided to council and subsequently the OIA, confirmed that no such conflict existed.
In arriving at its determination, the OIA suggested that the Mayor had acted in good faith on the basis of the advice received.