Former deputy premier Jackie Trad will have to reimburse the state for any legal costs recouped from its anti-corruption agency,after her successful bid to suppress what was found to be an unlawful report about her.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath responded to a parliamentary question on notice about the total cost of the drawn-out case to the Queensland government.
While noting the amount owed by the agency was still being determined after the Crime and Corruption Commission pay for Trad’s costs, this would be returned to the government.
It comes as the government continues behind-the-scenes work to address the powers of the CCC.
How we got here
Trad’s action against the CCC major legal cases the watchdog lost last year,after the High Court ruled it did not have the power to release details of some investigations.
Trad,who resigned from cabinet in 2020,had fought to stop the into allegations she interfered in the recruitment of a Treasury official.
While it is unclear what,if any,findings were made against her,the separate High Court decision triggering her legal win centred on the CCC’s power to report on probes.
Selection processes for recruiting top public servants were altered in 2021 in a move sparked by by the CCC. Its suppressed report was the third into Trad during her time in office – both others but sought to ensure.
“Where an investigation does not determine that corrupt conduct has occurred,it can nevertheless be important to explain what did happen so that the public can have confidence that the matter was properly dealt with.”
CCC chair Bruce Barbour at a September parliamentary hearing
Why it matters
Trad does not benefit financially from the court decision,after having her own legal fees covered by.
While a standard arrangement for and drawn into legal matters through their work,the opposition has questioned why this was used to allow Trad to launch her civil case against the CCC.
The government has committed to revealing the full cost of the case. As of August,CCC boss Bruce Barbour.
External legal costs racked up by the CCC in the involving former public trustee Peter Carne were reported to be $570,000 across the longer legal case decided by the High Court in September.
What they said
Brisbane Times asked the government how it was progressing with its response to the High Court decision,amid calls from the CCC for urgent change to.
D’Ath said the government was committed to “finding a path through what is a complex legal issue”.
Trad,now a board chair at Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts and director at the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education after a stint with law firm Slater Gordon,was contacted for comment.
In a rare public statement in October echoing,she accused the watchdog of which had a significant impact on her political career and family.
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