Bonneau CMC decision to be announced

The 13-month investigation launched by Queensland's Crime and Misconduct Commission into the actions of Cairns Regional Councillor Sno Bonneau, has now concluded and will be released this week.


The Department of Local Government and Planning was charged with the investigation and, after nine months of interviews and submissions, passed its findings to a Regional Review Panel to determine a finding.

Councillor Rob Pyne took a series of concerns to Council's CEO in February 2011, after he became aware of numerous times when Sno Bonneau participated in votes without declaring a conflict of interest or leaving the Council chamber.

''I had a professional obligation to bring these matters before the CEO," Councillor Pyne said. ''In fact, when such information of conflict or possible wrong-doing comes to the attention of a councillor, we cannot not take action.''

MacDonnells Law presented to all Cairns councillors their obligations under the Local Government Act. Under Sections 172 to 174, Councillor’s Conduct At Meetings, the Disclosure rules of material personal interest, there are ''mandatory requirements'' and a ''Councillor must:Disclose; Leave the room.''

In October 2011 Councillor Blake who is also being investigated under similar charges by a different complainant, said he was ''confused''.

''The votes identified in Ms Aitken’s complaint had occurred during a 'grey period' when the Local Government Act changed the way councillors declared their interests,'' Cr Blake told the Cairns Post. "Councillors were about their obligations to declare financial interests in the chamber because they hadn’t been properly briefed.''

"This vexatious complaint is driven by Val’s [Mayor Schier] failed Cairns 1st teammates," Cr Blake said. "Because I distaste her politics and her approach to running this city, I have been subjected to yet another vexatious attempt to bring me down at the ratepayers’ expense."

Janine AItken urged the council chief executive Lyn Russell, to forward the matter to the CMC because Alan Blake had apparently failed to declare a financial interest in at least 14 votes that had gone before the council since 2008.

''Cr Blake had repeatedly cast his vote in favour of company directors and property developers who donated thousands of dollars to his 2008 election campaign,'' Ms Aitken says.

A councillor can be fined up to $10,000.00 for failing to disclose a potential conflict of interest; or

not leaving the meeting room when required to.

Here's the full presentation to all Councillors from MacDonnells Law. It appears that Sections 172/174 as stated on page 9 of the councillors' presentation, is crystal clear.