Community & Business
1 April, 2026
Submissions, redactions and trust raised
Safeguarding residents information
A debate in Southern Downs Regional Council chambers last week underscored a lack of trust around how residents' private information should be safeguarded.
Hundreds of residents made submissions to the SDRC on the draft planning scheme several months ago, which were then summarised by staff and made part of the final draft. Cr Russell Wantling, in December, asked for a copy full submissions, including those not supported by officers, and all documentation submitted to the state government.
In late February, a redacted version (with residents identifying information removed) were available to view in CEO Rachel Brophy’s office with prior arrangement through Mayor Melissa Hamilton. The delay was due to the volume number of documents needing redaction and the intervening Christmas holidays.
Cr Wantling is not satisfied with the result and raised a motion in chambers that all councillors be “provided with full and direct access to all public submissions” including the unsupported ones, and the documents provided to the state government. It is unclear if he wants residents names included and he did not return a phone call and a message from this journalist to clarify that point.
Ultimately, Cr Wantling’s motion failed, but the debate was revealing.
Cr Wantling read a prepared statement calling for “clearer understanding of community concerns” by having a copy of the full documentation he initially asked for.
Cr Cynthia McDonald asked if Cr Wantling had reviewed the [redacted] submissions on council premises as organised for councillors interested.
Cr Wantling answered that he had not.
“So why didn’t you?” Cr McDonald asked.
“Because I want access to them; it’s only the submissions,” Cr Wantling replied.
Mayor Hamilton explained that access to the full submissions were made in such a way that council meets its legal obligations regarding privacy. Furthermore, the submissions run to thousands of pages which would be an economic barrier to providing one for every councillor.
The mayor outlined the principles of public trust and residents being reluctant to participate in council engagement because of possible retribution, citing a historic case involving a resident in Allora.
“We need to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Cr Bartley raised the Local Government Act saying “councillors can have access to all information regardless of confidentiality or otherwise, privacy or otherwise, we have a code of conduct to act under that is clearly articulated…”
Cr Bartley concluded that it comes down to “trust in our elected representatives and we have to trust in them” and that councillors should have access to unredacted submissions, which would reveal identifying information of submitters.
Cr Joel Richters and Mayor Hamilton covered the particulars of privacy, document provision and the Local Government Act before Cr Morwenna Harslett asked Cr Wantling “how he would know what exactly has or has not been provided” if he hasn’t gone to view the document.
She said “this comes down to a matter of trust and I think in this room, in a moment, we’re going to vote on exactly that.”
Cr Cynthia McDonald described political retribution and being privy, in her career, to politicians “conducting themselves in an appalling manner”.
“We are faced today with constant social media attacks from anonymous identities who are politically aligned. That is a concern to me.”
Cr Wantling interrupted Cr McDonald and asked where her comments were directed. However, he declined to make a point of order and Cr McDonald related how a "prominent" Stanthorpe resident told her of an incident in 2023 where three former politicians warned the resident not to talk to Cr McDonald on a particular issue.
Cr McDonald also expressed disappointment that Mayor Hamilton’s “personal details” were published recently on Facebook.
“What a disgrace. Are people that desperate? Why are people doing this?”
Cr Wantling reiterated his dissatisfaction with the result of his December request for information.
“And access [to that information] remains controlled rather than direct."
Mayor Hamilton later told the Town & Country Journal that while a councillor would have to organise either through herself of the CEO for access, the documents can be viewed in another room or in chambers, not necessarily in her office.
Cr. Wantling's motion went to a vote and failed to pass with a division called.
