Mayor on notice, premier vows to clear council ‘mess’
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has vowed to clean up the “mess” at a council in the state’s north, putting a controversial mayor on notice.
A controversial mayor is on notice after the Queensland premier vowed to clean up the “mess” at an embattled council in the state’s north.
David Crisafulli on Thursday confirmed he had sought legal advice after ongoing friction at Townsville council, saying the city’s people “deserve so much better”.
Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson had been served a show-cause notice in one of the Labor government’s final acts, detailing a plan to suspend him for 12 months.
Councillor Thompson issued his response by the late October deadline, providing a 23-page defence including “35 documents of evidence” and a nine-page timeline of events.
Crisafulli said he had sought Crown Law advice on the next steps, just days after the Liberal National Party leader was sworn in as Queensland’s 41st premier.
A former Townsville deputy mayor, Crisafulli said the north Queensland city’s reputation had been “tarnished” by the council controversy.
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“I’ve still got friends and family there and I know how it makes them feel,” he said.
“It’s as though a really proud city, its reputation, has been dragged through the mud through no fault of its own and it needs to be cleared up.
“I’m going to do it with the best legal advice possible, but I want the people of Townsville to know they matter to me, and we’re going to find a solution.”
Crisafulli has been busy launching his 100-day plan after being sworn in as the LNP’s first premier since Campbell Newman’s 2012-2015 stint.
He has hit the ground running with his cabinet set to be sworn in on Friday and two parliamentary sessions to be held by Christmas ushering in tough new youth crime laws.
However, the premier vowed to find time to seek a Townsville council solution.
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“It’s a mess and I really feel for the people of Townsville,” he said.
“It’s a proud city with great people and they feel as though their reputation is being tarnished by the actions of the council and the mayor.”
The premier said he had not yet looked at Thompson’s show-cause notice response or any material on the matter from the previous government.
Thompson is being investigated by the state’s corruption watchdog over matters including claims made during his 2024 mayoral campaign that he served five years in the army.
He later conceded on Nine Network’s A Current Affair that he misled voters about his military record, blaming “100-plus” concussions.
It sparked a unanimous no-confidence council vote in Townsville, the country’s biggest garrison city boasting more than 15,000 Australian Defence Force personnel.
Thompson has since resisted calls to stand down amid ongoing issues with colleagues.
He said in an earlier statement the show-cause notice he had been issued set a “dangerous precedence” and he would seek a High Court injunction if suspended.
The Labor government issued the show-cause notice in one of its final acts before going into caretaker mode ahead of Saturday’s election.
