January 29, 2014
South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann has refuted a suggestion by former Greens candidate for Nanango Grant Newson that a Bunya Mountains business bought by his wife last year had been used to host a Council function.
Mr Newson wrote on Facebook :
Guess that may be the same Restaurant they recently used for a Council function with over 100 people ???? (No conflict of interest there given the many other non personally owned restaurants within the Shire ). Just sayin’
The claim about the Council function has been picked up and repeated elsewhere by other people on the internet.
Mayor Kratzmann confirmed that Council held its annual Volunteers Christmas Party in December at the Bunya Mountains.
The party is a “thank you” to all the people who volunteer at visitor information centres, museums and other Council facilities.
But the party was not held at his wife’s business.
It was held at the Bunya Mountains Conference Centre, another privately owned business operating on the Bunya Mountains which has no connection to Mayor Kratzmann or his wife.
Mayor Kratzmann said similar functions had been held by all the old councils prior to amalgamation and the tradition had been continued by the South Burnett Regional Council.
However, the Mayor said he would investigate a second claim made by Mr Newson that Council’s online copy of his Register of Interests was out of date.
The current copy is dated June 2012, prior to his wife’s involvement in the Bunya Mountains business.
