Ipswich mayor caught in donations scandal after email leak

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale has said an email sent by a council staffer warning community groups that they could miss out on donations if he and other councilors are not re-elected was 'a simple mistake'.

The claims were made in an email that has been leaked to the media.

As he lapped up Australia Day at the Leichhardt swim centre, the Ipswich Mayor was forced to explain how donations are handed out.

"It was a simple mistake by a staff member she didn't mean to do it,” he said.

In the email, the message told groups: “I still have you on my database for a pending donation from Mayor Paul Pisasale and/or Councillors.

“…The donations pledged will only be applicable if the Mayor/Councillors involved get re-elected."

Mayor Pisasale said that was totally wrong.

“There's strict guidelines around community donations, they've got nothing to do with the mayor, they've got nothing to do with the councilors," he said.

But mayoral candidate Gary Duffy is skeptical.

"This email would've gone internal so I would like to know who else were the recipients inside the council, not just outside the council," Mr Duffy said.

The council's chief executive, Jim Lindsay, said hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants are made available every year after applications are assessed by council officers.

"The email was done by a staff member on their own volition, it was inaccurate, inappropriate and not reflective of council policy,” he said.

The chief executive says a corrected email will be sent to community groups later this week.

The staff member involved will also face disciplinary action but she will not be fired.

“Hopefully we don't make too many more mistakes," Mayor Pisasale said.