The allegation was that Mitchell had made misleading remarks about the council’s recently altered media guidelines.
Mitchell had shared a Facebook post by Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding in January this year, where Harding claimed she was “gagged” from speaking on specific issues by a change in that council’s media policy.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding.Credit: Tony Moore
A month earlier, Redland City Council had also changed its media guidelines, so the mayor would no longer be the spokesperson if they did not vote with the majority in support of a motion.
Mitchell was issued a reprimand by the council CEO as a result of the conduct breach vote.
The mayor said she acknowledges the vote was made by a majority of councillors, and therefore a council decision.
The council voted against issuing a conduct breach for a second allegation that relating to Mitchell for failing to moderate comments on the same Facebook post.
The mayor said the power to issue conduct breaches should be taken away from councillors.
“I think this system of reporting and complaint management needs to be altered to ensure we’ve got a process that responds and affords all parties natural justice,” she said.
The process that ended with a reprimand followed an official investigation into other Facebook posts Mitchell made about not being invited by other councillors on a trip to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands.
In that case, councillors voted 9-0 that there was no breach of conduct. It still cost the city $15,592 in fees to external consultants BDO.
Loading
In August, another investigation, which cost $18,240, was launched into an allegation that Mitchell breached the code by sharing a news article about the potential for councillors to be given portfolios, which they would become official spokespeople for.
“I believe this is another tactic to sideline me as the elected mayor of Redland City,” Mitchell said in the associated post.
A second allegation was made, again in relation to Mitchell not moderating the comments section. This time, the council voted 7-2 that there was no conduct breach.
Mitchell said she had paid for her own legal representation, and the number of complaints had affected her ability to focus.
“The pressure is quite tremendous, particularly with three [complaints] going on simultaneously, essentially,” she said.
The mayor said five of the six complaints that led to investigations were made anonymously.
Of the 1008 councillor conduct complaints received by the OIA in the 2024-24 financial year, 114 were about Redlands councillors, the most of any LGA in the state.
Roughly half of the statewide complaints were from within the local government sector, and 17 per cent of all complaints were anonymous.
The Queensland government has vowed to make the OIA “fit for purpose”, with Premier David Crisafulli including it in his charter letter to Local Government Minister Ann Leahy.
When asked when those reforms might be coming, Leahy said the government was committed to reform but did not provide a timeline.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
