Member for Redcliffe Scott Driscoll makes a statement to Parliament earlier this month. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail
THE future of a taxpayer-funded community association secretly controlled by Scott Driscoll is in doubt after board members closely linked to the Redcliffe MP declared it was insolvent yesterday and shut up shop.
Staff member and volunteer Len Thomas feared vulnerable clients would be left with nowhere to turn.
"Our 500 clients are the victims of the fiasco surrounding Scott Driscoll," Mr Thomas said.
"They (RCAMB) can't pay staff wages, they can't pay any bills, they have no money," he said.
About 20 staff jobs are also in doubt, with employees told they could come to work next week but not to expect to be paid.
The Courier-Mail revealed this month that Mr Driscoll had been secretly running the RCAMB for the benefit of his wife's company Norsefire, which has earned $120,000 in consulting fees from the association over the past 12 months.
Angry staff yesterday demanded board members immediately vacate the association's Redcliffe premises so the building could be secured pending an independent audit commissioned by Queensland Health.
Auditors are yet to visit the premises.
Treasurer Geoff Jamieson, who worked on Mr Driscoll's 2012 election campaign, said the decision to stand down staff came after a plea to the Department of Communities to keep the doors open was knocked back.
The closure of RCAMB comes despite Communities Minister Tracy Davis saying last week the department was "working hard" with the community centre to ensure its viability.
Funding for RCAMB has been frozen pending the independent audit.
In a statement released after yesterday's meeting, Ms Davis said contingency plans had been activated to ensure services would continue.
She said the Pine River Neighbourhood Centre had been engaged and would help clients from Tuesday morning.
Employees of RCAMB would also be offered assistance, she said.
RCAMB member Sheree Jackson said staff were shocked to hear they would be stood down.
"We have domestic violence, mental health ... at risk clients, what will happen if they show up and the doors are locked," Ms Jackson said.
Staff had expected to be paid their fortnightly pay this afternoon, but were told at the meeting there was no money for wages.
Mr Jamieson confirmed staff had been stood down because the association had no funds to continue trading.
"The organisation is not in a position to pay them so we had to stand them down to preserve all their entitlements," he said.
He said he had appealed to the Department of Communities to advance funds to cover wages and had initially been told money would be available from April 9.
But he said he had since been told no government funding would be provided until the independent audit was finished.
"All I was trying to do was say please give us some money just so all the staff could be paid," he said.
"They still won't even do that."
Meetings would be held between the board and the government officials early next week to discuss its future, he said.
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