Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate confirmed that he understood that the newly-appointed CEO of the city, David Edwards, had been found to have committed misconduct before finalising his contract for the position.
The ABC reported Edwards had been found to have used staff to undertake errands and manage his personal affairs, and failed to declare conflicts of interest regarding his role in hiring for the Queensland Department of Innovation and Tourism Industry Development.
In a statement, Edwards says he rejects both the allegations and conduct of the investigation.
“The formal allegations were not made known to me until several weeks after my contract had concluded.
“They were baseless and I chose to strongly respond to, and reject, these allegations," he said.
Gold Coast Councillor Glenn Tozer says he was not aware of the misconduct finding and it wasn’t discussed during deliberations over choosing the new CEO.
“I can tell you that it wasn’t disclosed to me and that I wasn’t made aware prior to the resolution of council that I participated in,
“I don’t know whether it would have changed other people’s minds, but I would have definitely considered it and I don’t believe I had a chance to do that," Tozer said.