A Brisbane hospital service broke government guidelines while suing a former mental health patient for defamation.
Brisbane Metro North spent 700,000 dollars on the private defamation case, but did not seek the approval of the Attorney-General, as required by guidelines.
The guidelines were introduced after the Bjelke-Peterson-era to prevent officials from misusing public funds to potentially intimidate critics.
Greens MP Michael Berkman says the breaking of rules can’t be allowed to pass: "They're there to prevent officials from using public money to pursue and intimidate anyone who criticises them."