Date: 23rd July 2026
Gold Coast City Council chief executive Tim Baker will leave the organisation before his contract expires following months of scrutiny over his leadership.
Mr Baker is expected to take leave from 29 July before departing the council in December, with an acting chief executive to be appointed while a recruitment process for his successor gets underway. His contract had been due to run until early 2029.
Mayor Tate thanked Mr Baker for his service since 2021, saying he had led one of Australia’s largest local governments through a period of significant change and had strengthened the council’s long-term financial position. Mr Baker said the decision followed personal reflection, noting he “was unlikely to be in a position to make the longer term commitment” required beyond his current contract.
The departure follows a turbulent period for Mr Baker’s administration, including an unresolved council debate over whether to launch a formal investigation into his and his executive team’s performance, questions over undisclosed overseas travel expenses exceeding $110,000, and a separate legal investigation into the employment process for a senior manager on a salary above $300,000. There has been no suggestion of wrongdoing in relation to any of these matters.
Acting Mayor Mark Hammel had earlier sought a governance and legal review of the chief executive’s performance assessment process.