REDLAND City Mayor Jos Mitchell has been formally reprimanded for breaching the Councillor Code of Conduct in relation to comments she made on social media.
The findings follow an investigation into two allegations stemming from a Facebook post the Mayor made on January 28 which criticised changes to the Council’s Media Relations and Speeches Guideline.
Cr Rowanne McKenzie outlined the councillor investigation conclusions, confirming that the first allegation – that Mayor Mitchell’s comments were false, misleading, disrespectful, and damaging to the Council’s reputation – was substantiated.
Despite attending a councillor workshop on November 18, 2024, receiving multiple communications regarding the guideline amendments formally adopted on December 9, 2024, and meeting directly with Council officers, the Mayor reposted content from Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding and criticised the changes without acknowledging these facts.
The councillor findings found her public comments misleading about the transparency and consultation process around the guideline amendments.
“In accordance with the Local Government Act 2009, Council has decided the Mayor engaged in a conduct breach and will be reprimanded accordingly,” Cr McKenzie said.
The reprimand, issued by the Chief Executive Officer, carries no further penalty but serves as a reminder to all councillors to moderate their behaviour and adhere to the Councillor Code of Conduct.
The second allegation – that Mayor Mitchell failed to moderate critical third-party comments on her Facebook post, allegedly breaching Council’s online bullying resolution – was dismissed.
Councillors accepted the independent investigator’s finding that, although some comments were critical, none were defamatory or damaging, and any potentially problematic remarks were promptly removed.
An independent investigator concluded that both claims were unsubstantiated.
Cr McKenzie clarified that the OIA has made no vexatious complaint declarations related to this matter.
Cr Paul Bishop acknowledged the complexity of information councillors must navigate and expressed hope the Council could move past the complaints to focus on community priorities.
“I hope that we can move away from OIA complaints and focus on what our community wants us to do, which is about the public interest and just get on with that work,” he said.
“I don’t want us to spread further in this direction. We’re humans, sometimes we make fault.
“It is not okay for people to be in the frame.
“I wish the differentiation and people being on different sides would stop and we could just get on with the core focus of our job.”
Cr Paul Golle rejected claims that the guidelines were intended to gag the Mayor.
“The imputation that we, as a group of councillors had tried to gag the Mayor or stop her being the spokesperson, is simply not true,” he said.
“The Mayor naturally is the spokesperson for the city.”
Cr Lance Hewlett sympathised with the Mayor’s feelings of being gagged on certain topics but regarded the issue as overblown and opposed the reprimand.
“I got the impression it was about the subject matter. Once she voted against the Olympic whitewater rafting proposal, it seemed that topic was then off-limits to her,” he said.
“That was strongly the message I received. In my opinion, she was being gagged. I could fully understand why she felt that way – because I thought the same.
“I interpreted it as being about the subject: if you disagreed with the Olympics proposal, you were no longer allowed to speak on anything Olympic-related. That’s the impression I got.
“Personally, I think this is a storm in a teacup, and you’ve blown it up like an anthill hit with a nuclear bomb. It’s overkill, and I believe it’s not right to do this to our Mayor.”
The Council Conduct Register will be updated to reflect the findings, and the OIA has notified of the decision.
Mayor Mitchell said she was disappointed by the finding.
“While I professionally accept the decision that is at odds with the independent investigation and finding, I am personally disappointed,” she said.
