Two former QBCC execs have hit back at claims that they were to blame for the building watchdog’s shocking failure to suspend the licence of a sex offender.
CITY BEAT Anthony Marx September 23, 2021 - 3:20PM The Australian Business Network
They’re the competent operators who have been thrown under the bus.
Two well-respected senior figures who recently joined the exodus of talent from Queensland’s dysfunctional building industry watchdog had their reputations unfairly trashed Wednesday night by Mick de Brenni.
The Procurement and Public Works Minister was caught flat-footed by the shocking failure of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission to immediately pull the licence of a Townsville tradie, who seven weeks ago pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five women while working in their homes.
So, as he belatedly rushed to order the licence suspension, de Brenni wrongly shifted the blame for the epic stuff-up on to two unnamed former QBCC operatives.
“I was advised that a decision not to use provisions to immediately remove this individual’s license was taken by two senior licensing officers in May 2019 who have now subsequently resigned from the QBCC,’’ he said in a statement.
We can reveal that de Brenni was referring to Ian Grant, the former head of the licensing services branch, and one of his deputies, Graham Easterby.
Both of these gents quit in disgust two months ago mainly because of allegedly improper interference in their work from the union-dominated board.
So why didn’t they immediately pounce on the tradie, William Emanuel Camilleri, when he got charged with eight counts of sexual assault more than two years ago?
It’s a little thing called natural justice.
“At the time of my departure from the QBCC in early July, the licensee had yet to be convicted of the offences and was entitled under the law to a presumption of innocence,’’ Grant told City Beat on Thursday.
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