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JANUARY 31-February 1, 2009 $2.00 incl GST
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GOTTA go . . . the magistrate swapped her Bribie Island house, left,
for a Caloundra address, and sent the public the bill.
Fair entitlement
or case of greed?
Patrick Lion
TAXPAYERS have forked out
$32,000 for controversial Magistrate Di Fingleton to move house
after she complained about her
‘‘onerous and dangerous’’ work
commute along a highway used by
thousands of other motorists.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Ms
Fingleton pocketed the special payment last year to avoid the 60km
drive each way, despite previously
agreeing to the commute between
the Caloundra Courthouse and her
former home on Bribie Island.
The Bligh Government went into
damage control last night, flagging
new rules permitting claims only for
moves of more than 100km.
Ms Fingleton had agreed to the
commute with former attorneygeneral Rod Welford in 2005 when
she was reappointed and awarded
almost $500,000 compensation after
being wrongly jailed for threatening
a subordinate while chief magistrate.
Continued P2 »
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2 The Courier-Mail January 31-February 1, 2009
But documents obtained under Freedom of Information
laws reveal Ms Fingleton
backflipped and asked for
$37,374 reimbursement last
June after moving from Bribie
Island to near Caloundra.
In a letter to then chief
magistrate Marshall Irwin, Ms
Fingleton said she was tired of
driving along the Bruce Highway to her $262,000-a-year job
as the road was ‘‘busy’’ and had
a 110km/h speed limit.
‘‘(It) has become a busy court
and some days I am required to
work past the usual court
hours,’’ she wrote. ‘‘This drive
has become both onerous and
dangerous and therefore it also
became a workplace health and
safety issue.’’
Judges receive moving allowances when appointed in different towns but Ms Fingleton was
reimbursed under ‘‘special
circumstances’’.
Her claim included $1815 for
removalists, $22,776 for stamp
duty, $1432 in fees and $1350 for
furniture depreciation.
Ms Fingleton also claimed
$10,000 for the agent’s commission, above the $5000 limit as
she argued the cap only covered
a home worth $164,000.
‘‘I doubt there would be a
habitable dwelling in the whole
SENT state a $37,000 bill . . . magistrate Di Fingleton.
of southeast Queensland for
sale at that figure!’’ she wrote.
Justice Department directorgeneral Julie Grantham approved $32,074, rejecting the
extra $5000 commission and
$300 conveyancing fee.
Ms Fingleton was e-mailed
the approval last August.
‘‘That is wonderful news,’’
she wrote in reply. ‘‘Many
thanks for your efforts. You
have a nice day!’’
Only days later, she lodged a
$3.2 million lawsuit against her
former legal team from her
2003 wrongful jailing.
Ms Fingleton’s new home
south of Caloundra is only 10
minutes drive from court.
Premier Anna Bligh ordered
a review of the claim this week
after being alerted to the FOI
application. She last night said
the claim by Ms Fingleton, a
friend, would not be rescinded,
despite admitting the move was
too short.
‘‘Personally, I think in order
to qualify for a transfer for a
relocation expense you have to
move more than 100km,’’ she
said.
But Ms Fingleton, who will
relocate again in 2011, last week
insisted there was nothing
wrong with her claim.
‘‘It makes you a lot fresher
driving to work,’’ she said. ‘‘I
applied. They gave it to me.’’
View the documents online at
couriermail.com.au
Premier
slashes
allowance
for judges
QUEENSLAND’S top
bureaucrats, magistrates and
judges will have their
generous moving entitlements
slashed to the same level of
ordinary public servants.
In a move set to upset the
upper echelons of the
bureaucracy, Premier Anna
Bligh last night revealed
department directors-general
would be ranked the same as a
teacher when they have to
move for work. For example, a
real estate agent commission
claim will total $3300 instead
of $5000 currently.
Magistrates and other staff
whose entitlements are similar
to those of chief executive
officers will also be included.
The move comes after Ms
Bligh ordered a review of a
$32,000 claim by Caloundra
Magistrate Di Fingleton
caught in a Courier-Mail
Freedom of Information
application.
Four years after magistracy
entitlements were last
reviewed, Ms Bligh last night
said she unaware CEO claims
were ‘‘significantly broader’’
than lower public servants.
‘‘I don’t believe there is any
justification for our most
highly paid officers to be
receiving more financial
assistance than normal public
servants,’’ she said.
Patrick Lion
couriermail.com.au
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