REDLAND City Councillor Shane Rendalls has hit back at media and social media reports suggesting he received government grant funding, describing the claims as “false” and “sensationalised”.
“There is a story circulating which was published in the Brisbane Times on Saturday 4 October at 6am, suggesting I have received government grant funding,” Cr Rendalls said.
“This story is false. No funding has been received.”
Cr Rendalls said an offer to host a grant program awarded to employment agency Busy at Work on a property part-owned by him had been rejected more than a month ago.
“An offer to host a grant program awarded to Busy at Work (who get paid to run the program) on property part-owned by myself, was rejected by us over a month ago,” he said.
“We do not believe the model for the grant program is capable of achieving the objectives for the program and advised their funding agency of this outcome.
“There is no money!”
Cr Rendalls said the journalist “chose to ignore the facts provided to sensationalise the story” and accused social media commentators of using the controversy to “smear” his reputation.
“This has also been the case with the leading commentators on social media — a group who campaigned against me in the local government elections and against Rebecca Young MP in the state election,” he said.
“Their simple objective is to smear.”
Cr Rendalls also rejected claims of any political affiliation.
“To clarify, I have never been affiliated with the LNP and stood as an independent in the 2024 election,” he said.
“Jos Mitchell’s Leading Change Team (actively supported by the then state member, Kim Richards and members of the ALP) selected Hilton Travis to run against me.
“Because I am independent and not ALP-affiliated, I have been labelled LNP. This is not true.”
He said anyone with evidence of wrongdoing should report it to the proper authorities.
“If people have evidence to indicate illegal or corrupt behavior they should take it to the relevant authorities, not make baseless assertions to undermine projects that are seeking to do good in the community.”
Cr Rendalls said plans to purchase the Russell Island property in question began before the local government elections.
“Plans to purchase the named property on Russell Island commenced prior to the local government elections, with the intent of providing affordable accommodation for older women wanting to remain on the island and for survivors of domestic violence,” he said.
“The partnership is our way of giving back to the community.”
The property, which includes six cabins, a shed and a house, is being restored with the goal of creating fit-for-purpose residences and a communal hub.
“We are 100 per cent funding our own way and plan to commence the refurbishment works into 2026, when we have proceeds from selling other assets and the time and effort to do so,” Cr Rendalls said.
“There has never been a monetary transaction between the government (or their agencies) and us for the betterment of this property.
“If anything, we have lost money in providing free training rooms to the Busy at Work team and supplying tools and incidentals to their trainees.”
Cr Rendalls said his motivation stemmed from personal experience and a desire to support women facing housing stress and domestic violence.
“Many of us know someone experiencing or recovering from domestic violence,” he said.
“My older sister did not survive domestic violence.
“If there had been domestic violence support services in the country town where she lived, my niece wouldn’t have grown up without a mother and a father.”
He said single older women were one of the fastest growing groups experiencing housing stress.
“On SMBI we also see many older single women having to leave the islands because of the lack of supported accommodation,” he said.
Cr Rendalls also addressed suggestions that his meetings with Redlands MP Rebecca Young were inappropriate.
“The article and social media critics have suggested that having up to eight meetings with Rebecca Young MP over the past 11 months is a problem,” he said.
“The bigger problem is that this is clearly not enough for the challenges facing Redlands and SMBI.”
He said he regularly meets with state and federal representatives to discuss local issues including housing, infrastructure, transport, the environment, and community facilities.
“Rebecca and I meet regularly—one-on-one and with the community—to discuss local issues and how these can be resolved,” he said.
“Rebecca, Amanda Stoker MP, Russell Field MP and Henry Pike MP also meet regularly with the other divisional councillors in their areas.
“This is what effective government should be like.”
Cr Rendalls described the Brisbane Times article as “just another media smear campaign” aimed at undermining him and others working to improve the region.
“This is just another media smear campaign to dilute the good that the local MP, Rebecca Young, myself as Division 5 Councillor and Dan Golin, President of the Chamber of Commerce are creating for the whole of the community,” he said.
“I do not accept the negative viewpoint or slander it causes on social media.
“I apologise to Rebecca, Dan and my council colleagues for having to experience the shame this brings to council as a whole.”
He said no one, including the Mayor or the Brisbane Times, had sought clarification from him since publication.
“But most importantly, nobody has contacted me since the publication seeking clarification,” he said.
“This rides on the back of the previous smear campaign on social media in the past month, where I took legal action against the contributors.
“Is this retaliation?”
