Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson responds to show cause notice amid moves to oust him from office

Townsville’s embattled mayor says he has formally challenged the Queensland government’s intention to remove him from office amid an ongoing controversy.

Troy Thompson was served with a show cause notice three weeks ago by Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon, just hours before Parliament was dissolved ahead of the state election.

He sets out the government’s plan to suspend him for 12 months in the public interest.

Premier Steven Miles said he was increasingly concerned that the first-term mayor was unable to work effectively with his councilors and community leaders.

Cr Thompson said he submitted his response to the show cause notice today, just before the deadline.

He said his 23-page defense included “35 evidentiary documents” and a nine-page timeline of events.

“This submission represents only a very small part of what may be submitted to the court at a later date,” Cr Thompson said in a statement.

Ready to fight

The mayor has been under investigation by the Crime Commission (CCC) since May for misleading voters about his military, business and educational credentials.

He has repeatedly resisted calls to step down, including those from his own advisers who unanimously filed a motion of no confidence against him in June.

Cr Thompson said he had been the target of discrimination, bullying and intimidation during his time as mayor.

He said being ousted from office by the state government would set a dangerous precedent for other councils.

“As the democratically elected mayor of Townsville, I will not resign and I have not been asked to do so.

“If I am suspended by the minister, I will respect her decision for the time being, but I will challenge this decision and consider a High Court injunction if necessary.”

Premier Steven Miles said the Government looked forward to reading Cr Thompson’s response.

“I’ve been pretty firm on this issue from day one,” Mr. Miles said.

“We are really frustrated at how work has stalled on a series of projects that span multiple levels of government since the change in mayorship.”

Mr Miles said negotiations could be held with the state opposition to remove Cr Thompson during the transition period.

Otherwise, the matter will wait until after the Queensland state election on October 26.

A Department of Local Government spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment while the process is ongoing.

Earlier this month, a special advisor was appointed to Townsville City Council to get the chamber back on track after months of tension.