Council's call for greater candidate safeguards wins support

Published 21 October 2026

• City of Moreton Bay has received support from fellow councils at the LGAQ Annual Conference for a motion calling on the State Government to better protect the privacy of local government candidates  
• The motion was adopted and will now be included in the LGAQ’s advocacy agenda  
• The motion was put forward following an increase in serious and unsafe situations putting public figures at risk   

City of Moreton Bay's motion calling on the State Government to better protect the privacy of local government candidates has received strong support at the LGAQ annual conference.   

Council's motion was adopted following an increase in the number of serious and unsafe situations placing public figures at risk.  

The motion called on the State Government to establish a registration system for local government election candidates and cleanse all existing contact information held by the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ).  

City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said he was pleased the motion was adopted and will now be included in the LGAQ's advocacy agenda.    

"While Council welcomed the State’s legislative changes last year to allow local government election candidates to use post box addresses rather than their private residential addresses in election material, it was simply not strong enough," he said.  

"We want them to take it a step further and use a registration system as confirmation of a nomination, instead of an address.  

"This will ensure greater protection, safety and privacy for local government election candidates.  

"The adoption of our motion is an important step in lobbying the State Government for this much-needed change."  

Mayor Flannery said protecting the safety and privacy of public figures had never been more important given the current political climate.  

"Unfortunately, we are seeing more instances where the personal safety of our political leaders is being put at risk," he said.   

"The deeply concerning incident this week in Wangaratta involving Federal Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, is a stark reminder of this.  

"No one should ever have to fear for their safety while serving their community."  

During the LGAQ Conference, two other motions also focusing on safety were also adopted.   

The LGAQ policy won support for its motion seeking equitable safety and security protections for local government elected members. Their motion called on the State and Federal governments to take a number of actions including ensuring that mayors and councillors have access to safety and security protections equivalent to those available to State and Federal elected representatives.  

Hinchinbrook Shire Council also received support for its motion calling for an urgent review of State legislation to ensure the protection of council officers facing increasing threats and harassment.