Chris ‘Pineapple’ Hooper will not become ‘accidental’ Rockhampton mayor after Parliament passes amendments to electoral act

Queensland Parliament has passed amendments to the electoral act that will retrospectively apply to the would-be mayor of Rockhampton, Chris “Pineapple” Hooper.

Mr Hooper should have already been officially sworn in as Rockhampton’s new mayor, but he was not ratified at a council meeting, which meant he could not assume the role.

However, the extraordinary amendments now passed in State Parliament mean even if Mr Hooper had been sworn in, any actions he took as mayor would have been rendered invalid.

The Labor Government only recently changed the law so a sitting mayor or councillor would be replaced by the next highest-polling candidate if they died or resigned in the first 12 months of their term.

Former Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow…