General News
3 June, 2026
Mayor’s ‘gotcha’ bid crashes
TENSIONS have flared again at Cairns Regional Council as it is revealed that Mayor Amy Eden instigated an investigation into the conduct and behaviour of Deputy Mayor Brett Olds during a closed-to-the-public meeting.
But councillors have backed a report that found Cr Olds did not breach conduct during the meeting in December.
At a closed session of the ordinary meeting last Wednesday – which excluded Cr Olds and Mayor Amy Eden – councillors present unanimously accepted the Office of Independent Assessor (OIA) investigation recommendation that there was no breach.
Council also moved to note the cost of the investigation was between $25,000 to $30,000 – not including staff time and resources – and that the full report would be made public.
Speaking after the meeting, Cr Olds (above) said the investigation had been instigated by Mayor Eden, following a meeting in December at which his previous conduct was raised and discussed.
Secret recording
Cr Olds said Mayor Eden had secretly recorded the meeting and sent it to the OIA for investigation. He said the irony was that that very recording vindicated him.
“The meeting was about my apparently colourful language and inappropriate behaviour”, which the mayor claimed was a conduct breach.
“This issue had been dismissed, I think, at least two, maybe three times previously,” he said.
It was raised for a fourth time, and “it seems like someone was after a gotcha moment to set me up”.
He said when the Mayor brought it up again, he had been “a bit cheeky”.
A bit of a larrikin
Cr Olds admitted he was a bit of a larrikin and anyone who knew him was aware of his sometimes “colourful” language.
“But it is never pointed, it’s never in an attacking fashion at anybody,” he said.
To say he had been coercive and used abusive, obscene or threatening language toward the complainant was incorrect, as the investigation found.
He even found the secret recoding fiasco and the meeting “a little bit humorous”.
“It’s like the Wiley Coyote and the Road Runner, when the coyote sets all these traps. There’s one episode where he laid down all these rakes for the road runner, and then all of a sudden the coyote stood on his own trap, whack, and then he whacks himself with about eight rakes,” Cr Olds said.
‘Tried to stitch me up’
“This reminds me of what the Mayor’s just done. She just tried to stitch me up and get me on recording, and ultimately, what exonerated me was that, that recording was handed over to the OIA and the investigator heard it.”
Cr Olds said it was “disappointing that ratepayers would have to foot the bill for the investigation which was “a waste of $30,000 on a wild goose chase”.
“It’s not what the people of Cairns deserve, and it’s not what us councillors deserve, because this whole thing makes everyone look like a rabble,” he said.
He supported anyone male or female, councillor or staffer, “100%” to report a conduct breach.
“Anyone that works here has the right to put in a complaint. Absolutely. But when the complaint’s been made multiple times and dismissed – to bring it up again, and then secretly record people without their consent ...”
He was also surprised at the details of this week’s closed session found in the meeting agenda, in which he was named, and then reported in the media.
“I gotta say, usually they’re pretty cryptic, and they’re really one liners. I’ve never seen a closed session that has summary that long … on the Monday, when I saw that, my jaw hit the ground,” he said.
Mayor Eden said after the meeting council acknowledged the investigation findings that there was no conduct breach.
‘Could be seen as mocking’
The investigation had however, found Cr Olds’ comments “could be seen as mocking”, which was a “good reminder for elected members to be mindful of tone, of language and of conduct,” she said.
“We went through the appropriate process, which we needed to do,” she said. “I think there’s learning opportunities for everyone involved.”
The recommendation passed by councillors included that the “council finds Councillor Brett Olds did not engage in a conduct breach in respect of his interactions at the councillor-CEO meeting on 8 December 2025 in that his behaviour was not targeted, sexualised or coercive. It is open to find that his interactions with that other councillor at the subject meeting could be seen to be mocking”.
