City of Joondalup investigating misconduct allegations referred by the Corruption and Crime Commission

The City of Joondalup is currently managing allegations of misconduct internally following a referral from the Corruption and Crime Commission. The West Australian understands the city is currently managing two allegations after they were reported to the CCC, which referred the matters back to the local government following an initial assessment. Under the WA Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Act 2003, the definition of misconduct covers a broad range of potentially serious breaches by public officers. It includes corrupt behaviour, abuse of office to obtain a benefit or cause detriment, criminal offences committed by a public officer punishable by two or more years’ imprisonment, breaches of public trust, or the misuse of official information. The city has been investigating the allegations with support from external legal and consultancy firms. The city was questioned over legal expenditure linked to misconduct investigations at its council agenda briefing last week. A financial activity statement from the city for February this year shows more than $141,000 in payments were made to a Perth law firm for services dating back to at least July 2025. One member of the public asked whether the city could provide details on how many misconduct cases the $141,703 expenditure relates to, after the city confirmed the invoices relate to active misconduct investigations. “I’m not at liberty to be able to provide that information,” city of Joondalup acting CEO Nico Claassen said in response. Mayor Daniel Kingston also said the city was legally unable to disclose further information. “Under the Corruption, Crime and Misconduct Act, it’s not permissible for a local government to disclose matters relating to any active investigations of misconduct,” Mr Kingston said. When allegations of serious misconduct are referred by the CCC to a public sector agency, such as a local government, the agency is then required to provide a detailed report on the action taken in response to the allegations. The report is also expected to detail any investigative and/or disciplinary measures taken, as well as the outcomes or conclusions reached. Mr Claassen confirmed to The West Australian that the city was unable to provide specific information regarding the allegations of misconduct, as the “matters are confidential and involve oversight by external agencies.” Comment was sought from the Corruption and Crime Commission; however, in order to maintain the confidentiality of anyone reporting to the Commission, the CCC does not confirm or deny the existence of any reports or complaints made to it. Since 2021, any outcomes of allegations of misconduct at the city of Joondalup have been reported to the city’s audit and risk committee, typically as a confidential standing report. According to the CCC, in 2024–25, the commission assessed 1,553 allegations of serious misconduct involving government sector officers, of which 633 met the commission’s threshold for suspected serious misconduct. Of the 126 cases where disciplinary action was incurred, 12 involved local government authorities, resulting in six dismissals and six reprimands or formal warnings. Additionally, nine local government cases underwent improvement actions.