A CONFIDENTIAL security brief from Redland City Councillor Paul Gollè has raised allegations of foreign interference risks, poor cyber security and inadequate oversight within Queensland local government — including Redland City Council.
The document, marked “Sensitive – For Official Use Only”, was sent to the Department of Home Affairs’ Counter Foreign Interference Division in July last year.
It was authored by Cr Gollè, who this week cast the sole vote against Council’s move to transition its four existing international city agreements into temporary Strategic City Partnership Agreements.
The Council decision covers arrangements with Qinhuangdao and Wuchuan in China, Yong-in in South Korea and Kani City in Japan.
Cr Gollè’s security feedback brief does not identify individual councillors by name and includes a number of allegations described as unverified, illustrative or based on rumour.
However, it argues local government is vulnerable to foreign and domestic interference because councillors have access to planning, infrastructure, procurement and confidential information without mandatory security clearances, structured security training or consistent cyber safeguards.
“Local government in Queensland is neither uniform nor consistently governed when it comes to security posture,” the brief states.
“In the case of Redland City Council, all security response measures, and training are reactionary in nature, not embedded as part of a proactive security culture.”
Cr Gollè says councillors often enter office with little understanding of national security risks or how local decisions can intersect with international geopolitical interests.
The brief alleges elected officials have been “openly groomed” by external organisations, including groups said to have links to activist movements, politically motivated unions and anti-government sentiment.
It provides no names, evidence or specific examples to substantiate those claims.
The document also criticises the absence of security vetting for candidates and elected councillors, arguing people can nominate for local government with limited screening beyond statutory eligibility requirements.
It alleges candidate qualifications, affiliations and financial disclosures are rarely independently verified, and calls for a federal-state protocol to audit declared credentials and interests.
The brief raises concerns about the use of personal phones, tablets, cloud accounts and home networks for Council business.
It claims councillors routinely bring personal devices into confidential briefings and closed sessions, creating what it describes as a risk of unauthorised recording, surveillance, data loss or cyber intrusion.
“There is no standardised enforcement of clean device policies, no signal isolation practices, and no consistent awareness of cyber hygiene across elected members,” the brief states.
Cr Gollè recommends secure, government-managed devices for councillors, mandatory breach reporting, device-free zones for sensitive meetings and annual protective-security audits.
The document also raises concerns about international travel by councillors and mayors, claiming overseas delegations can create opportunities for “foreign grooming, inducement” and the collection of commercially or politically sensitive information.
One “illustrative example” alleges a member of an Olympics-related delegation extended their overseas stay beyond the official party under personal leave, without formal oversight or a post-travel debrief.
The report also refers to an unverified rumour that a councillor lost a Council-issued laptop overseas, potentially exposing access to internal emails, planning data and confidential briefings.
Its classified annex expressly labels that allegation as unverified and says no formal investigation was reported.
The briefing note calls for a ban on indirect or obscured foreign-linked political donations, stronger real-time auditing of registers of interests and a new local government security taskforce involving Home Affairs, ASIO, Queensland Police and the Local Government Association of Queensland.
It says the taskforce should monitor risks, coordinate responses and establish consistent security standards across councils.
Cr Gollè proposes mandatory Baseline security clearances for all councillors and NV1 clearances for mayors and councillors holding planning or infrastructure portfolios.
The brief says existing compulsory local government training does not adequately address foreign interference, cyber security, coercive influence or security risks during official engagements.
Council’s International Relations Program review this week found several existing city relationships had become inactive or lacked contemporary governance and defined outcomes.
Councillors voted to retain the relationships temporarily under the new Strategic City Partnership model, with annual reporting on activities, outcomes and community benefit required.
