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The Crisafulli government has been issued with a please explain after it was revealed the state’s sports minister is enrolled to vote at the address of a staffer, and is not residing within his electorate.
Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander has been the state MP for the seat of Everton, an electorate covering suburbs in Brisbane’s northwest including Everton Park, Gaythorne, Albany Creek and Eatons Hill, since 2012.
The former NRL-referee split from his wife Gayle at the start of last year. In July, he and Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm formally declared their relationship to Premier David Crisafulli.
At a cabinet meeting last week, the pair reportedly told fellow ministers they had purchased a property together in Brisbane’s CBD – prompting further questions about where Mander had been living since separating from his wife.
The Australian reported Mander spent most of his time living in accommodation attached to Parliament House, and was found to be enrolled to vote at the rental home of a staffer in Arana Hills, but not living there.
Queensland Deputy Labor Leader Cameron Dick said Mander has “serious questions to answer” over the revelations, including whether he has broken the law by “knowingly giving false or misleading advice to the Electoral Commission”.
Under Queensland’s Criminal Code, a person who gives false or misleading information to the Electoral Commission can face up to seven years imprisonment, if found guilty.
“Tim Mander needs to answer the question today about whether he was properly enrolled under the law of Queensland to vote in Queensland,” Dick said.
He said Mander should ask the Electoral Commission to release his enrolment forms to make clear when and where he changed his address and enrolled to vote.
“If Mr Mander can’t be trusted to be honest about where he’s living and where he is enrolled to vote in Queensland, how can they trust him for other things?” Dick asked.
MPs are not legally required to live in the electorate they represent, and state members can enrol to vote in their own electorate if special notice is given to the commission.
Mander’s office was contacted for comment on Monday.
Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie was asked about the revelations but refused to comment on the MP’s living arrangements.
“We’ve got a redistribution coming up, and they happen all the time, and MPs end up living in their electorate and living out of their electorate,” Purdie said.
“There’s no requirement [to live in your electorate], so you disclose where you live.
“I’m not going to comment on the decision that someone made in the best interest of themselves or their situation … it’s a personal issue.”
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