LNP-linked figures appointed to top Queensland Treasury and TAFE jobs
A former ACT Liberal Party executive and a past Queensland Young Liberals president are among the latest appointments to state government posts amid new changes to the TAFE Queensland board.
Daniel Clode was appointed deputy treasurer for finance and investment in early January, while Tim Rawlings was announced as TAFE Queensland chief executive last week.
Although announced internally at the time, Clode’s appointment, which took effect on January 27, has not yet been officially announced by the government or ministry, despite questions from this imprint.
Crisafulli’s government faced criticism from the opposition and beyond over the LNP’s appointment or recruitment of individuals with links to ministries, other government or relevant institutions.
While Clode updated his LinkedIn profile this week to reflect his new role, he also shared a post about his previous role at the age of 20 in the Tasmanian government’s Treasury department.
“This week, after more than thirty years, I started working in a much more wonderful place, in another state’s Treasury Department,” he wrote.
The former senior Australian Taxation Office director advised a number of former federal Liberal ministers, including most recently Mathias Cormann and Simon Birmingham.
He also served as director of the Liberal Party’s ACT division and campaign director.
An internal email seen in this byline announcing Clode’s appointment in early January describes him as “an experienced professional with over two decades of work in public policy, financial management and ministerial advisory roles.”
A government spokesman at the time confirmed external recruitment processes were being carried out for “a range of leadership positions” at the Treasury but declined to give details of these.
“A gazette notice confirming the relevant appointments in these processes will be published in due course,” they said on January 7.
A government spokesman said on Saturday that a newspaper advertisement “usually appears shortly after a person takes office”.
Last Friday, Bates also announced TAFE Queensland’s new board members and chief executive. Secondly, Rawlings was president of the Queensland Young Liberals in 2006.
Since then, he has been a consultant to the giant PwC, served as a staff member in the Newman government, and most recently served as managing director of PwC subsidiary Scyne Advisory.
In a statement announcing these appointments, Bates said Rawlings brings deep experience in education, industry and government.
“His leadership will help strengthen TAFE Queensland as a high-performing public education provider,” he said.
“[Other new board members] “Kieran Chilcott and Susan Gladman bring valuable expertise in education, governance and finance and will add strong talent to the board as we guide the future of vocational education in Queensland,” he added.
Bates faced opposition criticism for overhauling the TAFE board last May. New chair Viv Grayson and member Andrew Knox are previous donors to the LNP.
A third new member, Christopher Lehmann, was a candidate for the party’s Ferny Grove seat in the 2020 state election. He died in December following a battle with cancer.
Four other new members were appointed to four-year terms, while members Jody Currie and Nicole Brigg were retained for the “continuity” of the board.
They are no longer listed as board members on the updated TAFE website, although their terms will not end until November 2026 and February 2027 respectively.
According to the information provided to this imprint by a source with knowledge of the matter, Currie, who is the vice chairman of the board of directors, was not given any reason for his dismissal.
Contacted about Currie and Brigg’s unannounced departures, Bates said in a statement only that the government had “completed the renewal of the TAFE Queensland board”.
The minister said the changes would “ensure the organization has the right leadership, experience and industry understanding to respond to Queensland’s skills needs and workforce challenges”.
Brigg and Grayson were also asked for comment.
Labour’s shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman described the new appointments as “another job for the lads”.
“Instead of being laser-focused on tackling nation-leading inflation in Queensland, the finance minister is busy handing out important jobs to LNP party loyalists,” Fentiman said in a statement.
Labor has also faced criticism from the LNP for appointing union or party figures to key roles during its decade in government.
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Matt Dennien is a reporter for the Brisbane Times covering state politics and public services. He previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email.
