Cairns Mayor Amy Eden has publicly accepted misconduct findings for sharing confidential information as a councillor, stating she has learned a tough lesson and is moving forward. The Queensland Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA) found that Eden released information she knew or ought to have known was confidential to the local government.
The Councillor Conduct Tribunal determined that Eden shared an email containing an extract of legal advice obtained by council CEO Mica Martin regarding councillors using discretionary funds for a public art project. She also forwarded an email exchange between herself and Martin detailing a conversation from a councillor workshop about potentially funding legal costs for a former councillor.
The OIA argued that Eden failed to remediate the breach or issue a public correction, demonstrating a lack of insight, and proposed she pay $1,669 to the council. However, the tribunal spared her from the financial penalty after she argued that no other councillors found to have released confidential information had been required to pay.
Eden must now attend training to address her misconduct. At a council meeting, she admitted the misconduct as ordered, but councillors Anna Middleton and another sought more detailed explanations. Middleton stated the community deserves transparency. Eden defended her position, saying she has owned her mistake and is moving forward, while advocating for making councillor workshop topics public.
