It is a view that has been echoed by former federal Oxley Labor MP Bernie Ripoll.

A string of people - including two Ipswich City Council mayors and two council chief executive officers - are now facing charges as part of the probe. The entire council faces the sack, with Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe giving councillors 21 days to explain why they should keep their jobs.

With the prospect of a federal election as early as late this year, Dr Williams believed voters would see the situation as a symptom of a "broken election system'' rather than take out their anger on the federal members for Blair and Oxley.

"In the electorate's mind there is a distinction between the state and federal Labor party and the local council," Dr Williams said.

"It's unclear exactly where they will take their wrath out.

"They are clearly disgruntled and disheartened and that is why the government has pounced on this and pushed the 'nuclear option' and given them time before appointing an administrator."

Dr Williams said the likely impact on voters was reinforcing that “the system was broken”.

“It could push them further into the hands of the fringe dwellers," Dr Williams said.

"And perhaps undemocratic ones.

"It will be, 'You can’t trust democratic politics; you need a strong populist leader'.

“That’s the sort of capital that will be made out of this, so people like Pauline Hanson could be the winner out of this.

“But I don’t see how it would affect Milton Dick or Shayne Neumann.”

Labor’s Milton Dick gained the federal seat of Oxley after the retirement of the long-serving Mr Ripoll in 2016 and Shayne Neumann has held the seat of Blair since 2007.

Mr Dick is in Taiwan on a trade delegation and Mr Neumann declined on Friday to comment on whether the allegations against Ipswich City Council would influence federal voters.

Dr Williams said while One Nation candidates might draw extra voters, they would not win enough to actually win seats.

He doubted One Nation would win any seat in the Lower House at the next federal election.

“Pauline Hanson has burnt her bridges,” he said.

“If they could not capitalise when there was all the low-hanging fruit at the last Queensland election, then they are not going to do it federally.''

One Nation won one seat at the 2017 Queensland election, despite commentary the party might win enough seats to control the balance of power.

At the 2017 Queensland election, One Nation candidate Malcolm Roberts, who lost his senate seat in the dual citizenship saga, polled 26.6 per cent of the first preference vote in Ipswich.

Brent Trussell won 28.2 per cent in  Ipswich West.

There was no One Nation candidate against Jo-Ann Miller, the member for Bundamba.

Comment was sought from Senator Hanson, herself an Ipswich councillor in 1994 before running for federal politics. She controversially won the seat of Oxley in 1996, despite being disendorsed by the Liberal Party before the election.

Recent Ipswich City Councils are strongly linked to the Australian Labor Party, despite no formal Labor ticket for three decades.

Former mayors Paul Pisasale and Andrew Antoniolli, who are both facing charges stemming from the Crime and Corruption Commission investigation, were members of the ALP. Ipswich’s latest mayor Wayne Wendt was Labor's MP for Ipswich West from 2006 to 2012.

In some cases, councillors stand as independent candidates while members of the Labor Party.

This issue was examined by the Crime and Corruption Commission’s investigation into local governments in 2017.

Mr Ripoll said the issue was “an absolute tragedy” for Ipswich, but felt “it hurt the Ipswich brand, more than the Labor brand”.

“I think it’s a real disaster for a whole range of people, not only the councillors but for the community as well,” Mr Ripoll said.

“It’s a great place and has lots of great people. I think it is quarantined as an issue to the council though.

“I don’t think this is being related back to the state arena or the federal arena.”

Mr Ripoll said he believed the impact was more on “Ipswich” than on Labor, because it had not been since former Labor mayor Dave Underwood (1991-95) that a Labor-team had held Ipswich City Council.

“And there is always an impact to that whether it is investment, or to the city’s reputation,” he said.

“While there are members of the Labor Party as councillors, I don’t think – in recent times – it has been seen as a Labor council.”

Dr Williams said anyone linked to Ipswich City Council would be judged harshly if they stood for public office.

“If they (voters) take their wrath out it will be on anyone associated with the Ipswich council,” he said.

“So if anyone associated with the previous council puts their hand for election at some future date, that is where they will take their wrath out.”

Dr Williams said anyone wanting to stand at a future Ipswich City Council election would need to be “an absolute cleanskin.”

“And they need to be demonstrated cleanskins, with no connections to councillors or the mayors.”