As local governments around Queensland prepare to go into caretaker mode from Saturday, ahead of the March council elections, a former politician has made a call for people to put their names forward as candidates, saying confidence in public office needed to be repaired.
John Mickel, formerly a Queensland parliamentary Speaker and now an associate professor at QUT, said a number of south east Queensland local governments had been shaken to the core by ongoing Crime and Corruption Commission investigations.
"Local government requires the best people around to represent the community; authentic voices to stand up for them," he said.
The elections, which are held every four years, will take place across the state on Saturday, March 28.
When the Electoral Commission Queensland publishes the Notice of Election on February 22, candidates planning to stand for either mayor or councillor roles for the state's 77 local government areas will have until March 3 to nominate.
On the following day, March 4, the draw for ballot paper positions will take place.
Sixteen local government areas will conduct full postal ballots, while three - Cook, Isaac and Maranoa - will offer a mix of postal and booth voting.
Corrupt conduct claims aired since the 2016 elections about several councils including Gold Coast, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and Logan, saw the state government instigate a number of reform measures aimed at improving public confidence in the integrity of local government, and new laws came into effect in January.
While open mayoral contests in the south east are as the result of whole councils being sacked and others under a cloud, mayoral retirements in western Queensland will lead to some interesting contests for rural voters.
Professor Mickel pointed to Townsville, where mayor Jenny Hill will be seeking a third term but faces the financial onslaught of billionaire Clive Palmer.
"In Goondiwindi, former opposition leader Lawrence Springborg will start as a red-hot favourite with the retirement of long-standing mayor, Graham Scheu.
"In Toowoomba, mayor Paul Antonio is seeking another term, his third and he was previously mayor of Millmerran Shire Council for eight years so has plenty of runs on the board.
"Canberra, and for that matter, Brisbane, is a long way from the day-to-day lives of most Queenslanders and when times are tough, it's their local councillors and mayors who should have their back.
"Regardless of which side of politics a candidate hails from, they have to have the interests of the populace at heart or they will be doing them a disservice."