Opposition leader David Crisafulli made the claim in the Parliament grounds this morning in the wake of news the senior bureaucrat had quit after two years of suspended duties on full pay.

In the wake of the Coaldrake report, which probed accountability and transparency by examining links between government ministers, lobbyists and the public service, Crisafulli labelled the government as “reaching the point of becoming morally bankrupt”.

“Today’s revelation was a saga that’s gone on for too long and cost taxpayers too much,” he said.

“When governments give up on integrity, they give up on governing for you.

“This has been a disaster that has consumed Education Queensland for two years.”

Comment was sought from Education Minister Grace Grace. Her office referred questions to the Public Service Commission, which is yet to respond.

Shadow education minister Dr Christian Rowan said the “tangled web and sordid affair” had slugged the Queensland taxpayer “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in maintaining Hunt’s salary and pursuing investigations, while losing opportunities to reform the sector due to the distraction and lack of leadership.

Hunt left his post earlier this week, following revelations in May that a disciplinary probe found he engaged in misconduct during the recruitment of a principal at the Inner City South State Secondary College (ICSSSC).

The ABC reported that the details were made public after he lost an appeal in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) after trying to argue the disciplinary decision was not fair and reasonable.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) had substantiated several allegations made against Hunt, the QIRC decision said, including that he “inappropriately” involved himself in the recruitment process for the principal and “overruled” the selection panel’s choice of preferred candidate.

Hunt was also found to have engaged in misconduct by failing to accurately record the reasons for the decision to re-advertise, and for misleading the director-general about the reasons.

Following the PSC’s findings last September, Mr Hunt was told “serious consideration was being given to the termination of [his] employment”.

The PSC disciplinary probe came after the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) launched an investigation into the recruitment and selection process for the principal of the school in Brisbane’s Dutton Park, located within Trad’s electorate.

Hunt was stood aside from his role as deputy director-general of corporate services “on full renumeration” in May 2020.

A CCC investigation resulted in Trad standing aside from her ministerial duties while the investigation looked into meetings she held with candidates during the recruitment period.

The findings of the CCC investigation cleared Trad of any criminal conduct or “dishonest or corrupt intent”.