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Sacked Queensland mayor's appeal dismissed

Former Fraser Coast mayor Chris Loft has had his application for a judicial review of his sacking dismissed in the Queensland Court of Appeal.

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Source: AAP


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The sacked mayor of a regional Queensland council insists "the truth will prevail" despite having his application for a judicial review of his dismissal denied.

Former Fraser Coast mayor Chris Loft's axing was recommended in February by Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe, who said Mr Loft was unfit for office after flagrant misconduct allegations were levelled against him.

Mr Loft applied for a Supreme Court judicial review in response, but the Queensland Court of Appeal on Friday rejected his application.

Speaking outside court in Brisbane, Mr Loft indicated he would not stop fighting the charges while thanking his legal team for their efforts "so far".

"With the benefit of hindsight, some of the decisions that I've made have perhaps been naive," he said.

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"I'm not scared of the truth and it will prevail ... all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

"I can put my hand on my heart and say that everything I've done is with the best of intentions and for the ultimate benefit of the community that elected me."

Mr Loft is facing five charges, including misconduct in office, disclosure of official secrets and computer hacking, which were laid by the Crime and Corruption Commission in November.

But Mr Hinchliffe said in February his decision was based on separate findings of misconduct against the mayor, including for breaching the council's code of conduct.

"I have formed the view that Councillor Loft still does not understand his legislative responsibilities and is not truly remorseful for his past behaviour," he said at the time.

"The likelihood that Councillor Loft may continue to engage in similar conduct in future is something that I'm not prepared to take a risk on."

Mr Loft's council had been investigated by the corruption watchdog for five months before he was charged.


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