Olympics minister stands aside as police probe voting enrolment

Queensland’s minister for the 2032 Olympics has stood down from cabinet duties after electoral authorities referred him to police over allegations he falsely enrolled to vote at a staffer’s home while living elsewhere.

Tim Mander’s move marks the first significant change to the Crisafulli LNP cabinet since it was sworn in after the October 2024 election, and comes after Labor referred him and other government figures to the corruption watchdog.

“I have no intention of this becoming a distraction to the important work of the government and so this afternoon I advised the premier I am standing aside today as minister while this is being sorted,” Mander said in a statement late on Thursday.

In a statement of his own, Premier David Crisafulli said he had accepted Mander’s decision. Tourism Minister Andrew Powell will take over Mander’s portfolio responsibilities.

Mander wrote to state electoral authorities last month to “affirm” details of his living arrangements after he separated from his wife, prompting inquiries from both the Electoral Commission of Queensland and Australian Electoral Commission.

While state laws allow MPs to be enrolled to vote in their electorate despite not living there, federal laws do not – and include criminal offences for providing false or misleading information.

In a statement on Thursday morning, an Australian Electoral Commission spokesperson said the agency had made inquiries about the matter and given Mander a chance to provide supporting evidence.

“While a determination has not been made, the AEC does consider that there is currently an absence of compelling evidence to determine Mr Mander resided at the enrolled address,” the spokesperson said.

“As such, on 19 May the AEC referred this matter to the AFP [Australian Federal Police] for their consideration, and any action they consider appropriate.”

“As the matters in question concern a potential criminal offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995, the appropriate authority to undertake any further investigation into these issues is the Australian Federal Police.”

An AFP spokesperson said it had “received a report of crime” from the electoral commission. “An update will be provided at an appropriate time,” they said in a statement.

Mander has previously denied wrongdoing and insisted he made the correct disclosures. In his statement, he hit out at the Labor opposition for “their baseless smear campaign in relation to my personal life” saying he welcomed “this next critical step in the process”.

“I referred this matter myself and provided information as requested, so it could be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have followed the right processes and all appropriate declarations and disclosures have been made,” Mander said.

“I have total confidence this will be resolved and Labor’s attacks disproved.”

Crisafulli said he was made aware of the electoral commission’s update at lunchtime.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick said Crisafulli had to stand Mander down while the matter was resolved.

“If Queenslanders can’t trust Mr Mander with [questions about] where he lives, how can they trust him with the Olympics?” Dick said.

The former NRL-referee and state Scripture Union chief executive, first elected to his Brisbane seat of Everton in 2012, has faced intense recent scrutiny over the intersection of his private life and public responsibilities.

This culminated last week in a referral by Labor of Mander, his current partner – Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm – Crisafulli and the premier’s chief of staff to the state corruption watchdog over matters including Mander’s voter enrolment.

The matter escalated last month, after The Australian reported Mander and Camm had disclosed a joint property purchase to cabinet colleagues.

The pair had, in July last year, declared their relationship to cabinet, with Mander reported to have spent time living in parliamentary accommodation after separating from his wife of many years.

While MPs can use the taxpayer-funded accommodation for parliamentary or ministerial duties, any unrelated stays are required to be declared under fringe benefits tax requirements.

Last month it emerged Mander was enrolled to vote at the Arana Hills rental home of his electorate officer – but was not recognised by neighbours.

After reporting on a June 2025 letter to Crisafulli by Mander’s former sister-in-law that raised concerns about the pair’s use of public funds during a year-long relationship, questions widened to include whether they had disclosed their earlier affair on being sworn in as ministers.

Mander and Camm say they were in a relationship from June 2023 to May 2024, then “reconnected” in June 2025 after Mander separated from his wife two months earlier.

Earlier this month, Mander said the Arana Hills property was his principal place of residence between early January and late March.

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