Arabic version: استقالة الرئيس التنفيذي لمجلس غولد كوست تيم بيكر

According to ABC News, Gold Coast City Council chief executive Tim Baker will step down early in December after five years in the role. Baker, appointed chief executive of Australia’s second largest council in 2021, said he and his wife had been considering the next chapter for their family.

In a statement, Baker said he was unlikely to be able to make the longer-term commitment required beyond his current contract. He described serving as chief executive officer of the City of Gold Coast as a privilege. Councillors unanimously voted in 2024 to extend his contract, reported to be worth about $700,000 a year, for another four years.

A council spokesperson said Baker would take leave after the council’s next full meeting on July 28. His departure comes before a planned independent review of the city’s senior executive team, including Baker, which Acting Mayor Mark Hammel said he would ask councillors to support at that meeting.

Baker’s tenure included scrutiny over overseas travel expenses funded by ratepayers. He and a staff member spent $54,000 on a week-long trip to the United Kingdom last year. In February, it was revealed that a further $46,000 had been spent on staff travel beyond the amount disclosed in a public expense report, while individual costs were withheld in council documents on privacy grounds.

Councillors held a late-notice closed meeting on Tuesday to discuss a confidential legal matter before the announcement. Mayor Tom Tate, who is overseas, said Baker had helped prepare the city for the 2032 Olympic Games and cited improvements to financial sustainability, infrastructure, services and organisational capability during his time in the role.