The Guardian reports that Townsville's mayor has abeen referred to the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission last week after allegations he embellished his military record by stating he spent five years in the army, including time with “SAS Swanbourne”.
In an interview with A Current Affair on Thursday night, Thompson conceded he had not spent five years in the service, as he claimed during his campaign, and blamed “100-plus” concussions and epilepsy on his poor recollection.
“Look, I honestly, hand-on-heart, thought it was five years,” he told Nine. “Those who know me know that I’ve had multiple concussions – 100-plus – and I suffer from epilepsy. “That’s not an excuse. But what it says is you’re going to forget things from time to time.” ...
In addition to embellishing his military record, Thompson also admitted he “never completed” university, despite describing himself as a “business graduate” during his campaign and claiming he had two degrees. Thompson’s LinkedIn account previously listed a bachelor of science, occupational safety and health technology with Curtin University and a bachelor of commerce, accounting and marketing from Griffith University. These degrees were removed from his profile after he was sworn into office.
