As a result of Cairns Post article on 1 January 2024 questioning whether tickets to the basketball should have been declared electoral expenditure, following is our response to the Cairns Post:
Good afternoon + Happy New Year Tyler,
Hope you had a lovely festive season, stayed dry and cool… it’s been so wet and hot!
Please see below email from ECQ that our attendance (tickets) to the basketball with our families is, as we expected, not electoral expenditure.
Your reporter saw fit to cast aspersions on our conduct, the ball is in now your court to follow up todays story and set the record straight.
The real story – the gagging of councillors at the last council meeting – a story of public interest, where is that?
Where is the story on the Unity councillors blocking requests from the independent councillors for an independent review, including actions taken, timing of those actions, validity of those actions, communications to the public and the co-operation and level of interaction between agencies involved in the response?
Surely this is in the public interest? How is it that the councillor raising the issue has had no reporter asked for comment?
More than happy to discuss and look forward to hearing from you.
Email from ECQ
The ECQ’s view is that the basketball event tickets are not electoral expenditure therefore are not required to be disclosed. However, the ECQ does not discourage over disclosure. If you would prefer to disclose these items, you are welcome to do so. Be sure to keep full and accurate records of the relevant transactions.
