Two Queensland ministers accused of hiding a secret relationship from cabinet colleagues while making funding decisions benefiting each other’s electorate deny they have done anything wrong.
Olympics Minister Tim Mander and Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm say their extramarital affair began in June 2023, and they were temporarily broken up when they were sworn in as ministers in November 2024, which is why they did not declare the relationship.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli made a major point of promising transparency and accountability from his government when he was elected in 2024.
He wrote an introduction to the ministerial code of conduct which reads: “I expect ministers to commit to and embody the highest standards of integrity and impartiality and respect the trust and faith placed in us by the people of Queensland”.
At a heated press conference on Sunday, the Premier said the ministers declared the relationship to cabinet at the appropriate time.
The pair released matching statements on Sunday, categorically denying they were in a relationship when they were sworn in as ministers.
The code of conduct says any conflicts of interest need to be declared within one month of being sworn in.
“All appropriate declarations and disclosures have been made at the appropriate time and will continue to be made as per the ministerial code of conduct and parliamentary members handbook,” the pair said in the statements.
The scandal was first reported by The Australian, pointing out grants made by each Mr Mander and Ms Camm’s departments which benefit the others’ electorate.
At last year’s budget, Ms Camm’s Families Department provided a $3.1m grant to a men’s shed in Mr Mander’s electorate.
In the same budget, Mr Mander’s Sport Department granted a surf lifesaving club $50,000; Ms Camm is a patron of the club, and it is in her electorate.
The state opposition has branded the scandal an “integrity crisis” and called for a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.
Both MPs say they sought advice from the Integrity Commissioner and the Clerk of the parliament. Labor is calling for this advice to be made public.
On Sunday, Mr Crisafulli rejected calls for a Crime and Corruption Commission probe.
“Both are aware entirely about what their duties are. Both believe that it was declared entirely at the right time,” Mr Crisafulli said.
The Premier says he has stressed the importance of the Ministerial Code of Conduct to all his colleagues.
“(To) … make sure they’re well aware of the Ministerial Code of Conduct and how important it is that you comply with it, to make sure that you do declare the things that have to be declared,” he said.
“And if there is a suggestion that that hasn’t happened, I’ll be the first to say that it should be referred and it should be tested, and that is the advice I’d give to the Labor Party or to any individuals.”
Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick said it was convenient that Mr Mander and Ms Camm’s relationship recommenced shortly after being sworn in as ministers.
“Tim Mander and Amanda Camm say they were in a relationship for about a year. Then they weren’t. Then they were,” Mr Dick said.
Referencing the sitcom Friends, Mr Dick said the Premier was trying to convince Queenslanders “that Tim Mander and Amanda Camm are the Ross and Rachel of his government”.
“Very conveniently, the time that they say that their relationship recommenced was almost exactly the same day that Tim Mander’s sister-in-law wrote to the Premier raising serious concerns about that relationship and the proper exercise of ministerial duties by those two ministers.”
In June 2025, Mr Mander’s sister-in-law alerted Mr Crisafulli’s office that the pair were having an extramarital affair, The Australian reports.
The sister-in-law, Lynne Waters, said she had not been prompted by her sister to contact the Premier, but instead wanted to know if the relationship had been declared and if any public money or resources were used for travel, accommodation or meals.
“I believe these matters are of significant public interest and respectfully request that they be investigated thoroughly,” Ms Waters said in the letter.
She said Mr Mander had left the 44-year marriage with her sister in April 2024 and moved into taxpayer-funded accommodation.
Two weeks after Ms Waters’ letter, the pair told their cabinet colleagues about the relationship.
Unhappy with the correspondence from the Premier, Ms Waters’ then alerted Opposition Leader Steven Miles a couple of weeks ago.
Ms Camm was elected in 2020 in the seat of Whitsunday, and currently holds the families, seniors and disability services portfolios, along with the responsibility for child safety and the prevention of domestic and family violence.
Mr Mander’s electorate is Everton, in northern Brisbane. He was elected in 2012, and is currently Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as sport and racing.
Mr Mander is a father-of-four and was chief executive of the Scripture Union in Queensland. He was named Queensland father of the year in 2005.
