Ministers should have disclosed early affair after election, guide says
Two ministers facing scrutiny over a previously secret incident should seek advice from the state integrity watchdog when taking up their duties, Queensland agency guidance says.
Documents from the Queensland Integrity Commissioner’s Office can be revealed as Premier David Crisafulli doubled down on his support for Tim Mander and Amanda Camm, saying the pair had made all necessary disclosures at a heated media conference on Thursday.
Although they refuse to say whether they sought advice when they were appointed ministers and claim they were not together at the time, their guidance notes state that even recently ended relationships can cause conflict.
“The nature of past relationships is such that emotions can interfere with objectivity for a period of time, and there are few discernible rules as to when this influence will cease,” the document said.
Olympic Minister Mander and Minister Responsible for Families Camm, Late on Wednesday, the media came to the fore separately As the pressure mounted, Crisafulli also faced questions.
The pair denied any wrongdoing and insisted there were no conflicts during which their year-long relationship ended between May 2024 and June 2025, when Mander left his wife.
They refused to say whether they had disclosed the relationship to the integrity watchdog over becoming ministers, while revealing conflict of interest plans drawn up after the pair “reconnected” last year.
Mander also revealed that Crisafulli and some other shadow cabinet colleagues were aware of the incident while the LNP was in opposition and told Crisafulli when it ended in early 2024.
The point is be dragged into public debate after the couple announced the purchase of joint property to cabinet colleagues.
The following reports followed: Mander’s ex-sister-in-law expresses concerns A letter he wrote to Crisafulli last June included information about the duo’s use of public funds for at least two years.
More reports among the duo’s electorate about projects prepared by their own department, in which they denied any discussion or involvement, forced them to go to the front media.
In the case of a spouse (or long-term partner), parent or sibling, these relationships are perceived to be so strong that a ‘reasonable concern of bias’ would naturally be said to always exist.
Queensland Ministerial Code of Conduct
The Office of the Queensland Integrity Commissioner, among other duties, advises officials on conflicts of interest and helps prepare plans signed by an official and his boss to manage them.
All ministers are required to meet the commissioner when taking oath of office to identify any conflicts and put in place such management plans with the prime minister of the day.
One of a number of publicly available resources for ministers on the agency’s website: 2021 certificate It was written by the then commissioner of integrity Nikola Stepanov.
The document, titled “Identifying, disclosing and managing potential conflicts of interest involving close relationships”, states that individuals are not in the best position to assess and manage such issues, meaning advice should be sought.
“As expected, the more important and personal the relationship between a Minister and an intimate party or close party, the more likely it is that a fair-minded member of society will have concerns of bias,” the document says.
But the balancing of various factors to identify such risks also includes “past close relationships” and there are few concrete rules for how to manage any impact these may have.
Therefore, the guidance notes may be set at 12 months as a general recommendation for the potential time frame within which a recently ended relationship could reasonably continue to impact an authority.
As a first step, ministers are advised to inform the prime minister and seek advice from the commission on any matter where close personal relationships might interfere with their duties.
“DRINK [Integrity Commissioner] can then evaluate the scenario from the perspective of a fair-minded member of the community and determine whether, given the political role, responsibility, and accountability of the decision maker, the community member could reasonably understand that the decision might be biased,” the guidance says.
“A conflict of interest will be said to arise where there is a connection between the official position of a Minister or Deputy Minister and an intimate or proximate party, and where the official position has a realistic ability to influence the Minister or Deputy Minister in a way that is more than trivial and not widely shared.”
At a heated media conference in Victoria Park on Thursday, Crisafulli sidestepped questions about whether he had spoken to the duo or the Integrity Commissioner about the issue after winning government in October 2024.
He said the couple had received advice from the Integrity Commissioner and had been assured they would announce their relationship “at the appropriate time” in mid-2025.
“If you believe that this is not the case, come to the authorities or to me personally and I assure you that I will take action on this matter,” Crisafulli said.
Asked what action she took after Mander’s former sister-in-law’s letter asking her to investigate but not tell Mander about the correspondence, Crisafulli said only: “I respected her privacy.”
Crisafulli was also asked whether he would seek advice from the Integrity Commissioner after the election on whether Mander and Camm’s past relationships were relevant to the new cabinet.
“You’re asking me to hold two people to a standard no one else is held to [to] This is what you asked me before, Crisafulli said.
Other questions were directed to Crisafulli’s office about the guidelines. Mander and Camm have also been contacted for comment.
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Matt Dennien is a reporter for the Brisbane Times covering state politics, parliament and the public sector. He previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email.
