“A poll that was remarkable for the number, nature and extent of attacks on individuals and councils,” it said in its release.

The ICEO spokeswoman could not name/list/provide details of anything that might have been regarded as false or deceptive campaign material, including claims made in public speeches and posted on social media sites in the 2016 election.

“As part of the research done prior to the establishment of the ICEO, a wide range of stakeholders and participants in the 2016 local government elections were canvassed, including candidates.

“The candidates interviewed saw merit in establishing a fact-checking mechanism to review claims and allegations as did the voters who participated in focus groups. The ICEO is not in possession of specific claims relating to the 2016 (Douglas Shore) election,” said the spokeswoman.

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said she congratulated the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) for this initiative.

“Hopefully, this will combat the fake news and wild allegations that occur during election campaigns,” she said in a statement to Newsport.

Councillor Michael Kerr said today he is extremely pleased with the introduction of the election watchdog, as unfortunately this is a necessity.

“Already comments have come back to me stating that opponents are making ludicrous and false claims that I want to shut down the Mossman Mill, which is anything from the truth. 

“Hopefully this will create a fair and honest playing field. As anyone who runs as a candidate for council should be doing so in good faith; that they want to make the shire a better place and shouldn’t be slandered or lied about because they have different beliefs on what they think are better ideas,” said Kerr in a statement to Newsport.

Led by retired District Court and Planning and Environment Court Judge John Robertson, the ICEO will also self-initiate investigations into misleading or untrue claims and hoped to publish all findings within days.

Mr Robertson urged candidates in regional and remote Queensland councils to use the ICEO to keep each other in check.

“More than 1500 candidates across 77 councils are expected to stand in the March elections, so we’re expecting to be extremely busy,” he said.

Mr Robertson said the ICEO would work within the framework for existing agencies including the Electoral Commission, the Office of the Independent Assessor and the Crime and Corruption Commission.

The ICEO has been funded by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ). However, it will operate at arm’s length from the peak body via a service company owned by the senior partners of a Brisbane law firm.