A former senior Queensland public servant was drunk at work, often absent and caught in a "compromising position" with a temporary employee, a crime watchdog investigation has found.
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Electoral Commission of Queensland Commissioner Walter van der Merwe resigned on February 14 after he was suspended following a "serious allegation".
Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath revealed five out of seven allegations investigated by the Crime and Corruption Commission were substantiated.
These were:
- He routinely did not perform his functions as Electoral Commissioner when in the workplace. An example relates to an incident when he was seen in a "compromising position with a temporary employee", believed to be of a sexual nature.
- He was drunk at work and often absent without reasonable excuse.
- Directing senior managers to not regulate the behaviour of employees who were friends of Mr van der Merwe. Action for unacceptable work practices was not allowed by Mr van der Merwe against those particular employees.
- Overruled reasonable management decisions of senior managers in relation to staff favoured by him.
- Left locked containers in the offices of the ECQ. The containers were later seized by search warrant. When opened, one of the containers held steroids, and it was suspected he used drugs in the workplace.
Any post-disciplinary action against Mr van der Merwe under the Public Service Act would not apply because of his resignation.
The ECQ spoke to witnesses, seized evidence and obtained forensic evidence from mobile phones.
Ms D'Ath said the CCC recommended the ECQ develop and implement a policy that provided parameters for formal and informal contacts with members of Parliament during a state election.
In the lead-up to and during the November state election, Mr van der Merwe received several text messages from various MPs asking for information on the new electoral boundaries and on the vote counts.
"CCC officers did not raise an allegation in relation to this behaviour as these types of contacts were considered inherent to his role," she said.
Ms D'Ath said there was a range of improvements required to the governance and accountability of the ECQ.
"As a public sector agency, it is crucial that the ECQ always retains the full confidence of the Queensland public and that it reflects the highest levels of ethics and integrity in the important work that it does," she said.
"Staff should also expect a healthy workplace culture that supports staff wellbeing.
"This has obviously been a difficult time for all of the Electoral Commission of Queensland staff and those circumstances are by no means a reflection of ECQ staff more broadly."
Ms D'Ath will appoint an acting commissioner on Thursday afternoon to provide "fresh eyes and stability", with recruitment and selection already started to fill the position permanently.
She said the issues in the CCC investigation did not relate to the outcome of any election but were very serious.
Last month, Mr van der Merwe pleaded guilty and was fined $600 after being caught with steroids.
