Queensland government criticised over role for LNP power broker

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Queensland government is embroiled in a new 'jobs for mates' controversy after it appointed an LNP power broker to chair the state's lead agency for disaster recovery. Jane McNamara has replaced former police commissioner Katarina Carroll to lead the Queensland reconstruction authority just one year into her three-year tenure.

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00:00Before its landslide victory, the LNP spent almost a decade in opposition, scrutinising

00:09the Labor government for appointing its mates into taxpayer-funded jobs.

00:14Right now, we are seeing the tangled web of Labor mates.

00:19This Labor government is rotting before our eyes.

00:22But after 12 months in power, Premier David Crisofulli's government has now appointed

00:27at least 34 people with LNP links to government jobs.

00:32The government is increasingly showing preference to their friends, to their mates and their donors.

00:40The recent appointment of LNP power broker Jane McNamara to chair the Queensland Reconstruction

00:46Authority is controversial for other reasons too.

00:50Yes, the former mayor of the Flinders Shire Council has personally donated to the party

00:55and has held senior roles within the LNP for decades.

00:59But ABC investigations can also reveal that for the past six months, Jane McNamara has been

01:06working for a civil engineering company owned by her former council CEO Hari Bapudi.

01:12He was investigated over allegations of suspected corrupt conduct while they worked together

01:19at council. An independent investigation required by the Crime and Corruption Commission

01:25substantiated some of the allegations against him last year.

01:29The ABC understands Ms McNamara knew about the investigation but she refused to answer any of

01:35the ABC's questions about it.

01:37It just seems highly unusual to me as a decision to go and work for somebody who you knew was subject

01:43to corruption allegations and in fact to remain working with them after those corruption allegations

01:48are substantiated.

01:49In a statement, Jane McNamara said,

01:51I have complied with all conflict of interest processes and suitability checks.

01:56I advised QRA that should I be successful, I would avoid any perceived conflict of interest

02:01by resigning from my employment. I did this.

02:04Did your government know about the corrupt conduct finding before you appointed her?

02:08I'm not familiar with that. She resigned from the position, she's got the position now as

02:12a recovery coordinator and she's going to do a marvellous job. I answered your question.

02:17Hari Bapudi told the ABC he is unable to comment on the investigation findings

02:23due to obligations of confidentiality and said the findings were referred to police who took no action.

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