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Queensland electoral commissioner resigns

Queensland Electoral Commissioner Walter van der Merwe has resigned after undisclosed allegations were levelled against him.

Queensland Electoral Commissioner Walter van der Merwe has resigned two days after being suspended pending an investigation.

Mr van der Merwe delivered his resignation to Governor Paul de Jersey on Wednesday morning.

It follows Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath on Monday issuing Mr van der Merwe with a show cause notice over "serious allegations" levelled against him.

In the letter from Mr van der Merwe to the Governor, the former commissioner said he had been intending to stand down from official duties soon due to ill health, despite have several years left to run on his current contract.

But he said he had brought his resignation forward in light of the allegations against him.

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"As a consequence of the stress of dealing with these matters and the effect that they are having upon my family, and are likely to have upon the officers of the Commission, I have come to the conclusion that an earlier resignation than one I was originally planning is the best course of conduct," he wrote.

A special meeting of the state's Executive Council was convened on Monday to address the issue, although Ms D'Ath was limited in what she could reveal about the allegations.

"It's a show cause process and I will be providing the electoral commissioner with the allegations, and giving him adequate time to respond to those allegations before making a final decision," Ms D'Ath said on Monday.

Ms D'Ath stressed that the allegations "do not suggest inappropriate interference in the outcome of elections".

In a statement on Wednesday, Ms D'Ath said Mr van der Merwe's resignation did not halt the investigation of the allegations, which would continue until it was completed.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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