ANY requests for funding Penny Toland’s 2016 mayor campaign came from the candidate, the Crime and Corruption Commission has heard.

Earlier Ms Toland told the hearing she did not believe she had to declare almost $40,000 in funding because she did not approve and was unaware it had happened.

She said she had not requested or approved for signs to be placed on buses and trucks or shirts to be printed.

.

CCC hearing

But the CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar said the candidates were in charge in their campaigns.

“To the best of my knowledge they pretty much ran their own campaigns,” Mr Ravbar said.

In a majority of cases candidates would request assistance from the CFMEU and Mr Ravbar would then approve and refuse the expenditure.

Mr Ravbar said he only met with Ms Toland once and all subsequent requests he had for her campaign came through CFMEU assistant secretary Andrew Sutherland.

“It was her initiative, and they things came through through Andrew,” Mr Ravbar said.

“These were the signage put forward by Andrew.

media_camera

Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland told the Bulletin she relied on the support of family and friends as she does not have the budget of other candidates. Picture by Scott Fletcher

Mr Ravbar said the union did not make suggestions and preferred to allow candidates to run their own campaigns.

Mr Sutherland will give evidence later this afternoon.

It came after Ms Toland denied she did anything wrong in failing to declared almost $40,000 in campaign support from the CFMEU.

Ms Toland said she was not aware or gave approval to any of the campaign activities of the CFMEU and therefore did not need to declare the support.

media_camera Penny Toland,, arrives at the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) in Brisbane, Wednesday, June 14, 2017. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

But the union sent her an itemised list of campaign expenses on July 1 last year - the same day she lodged her disclosure forms.

The revelations came at the Crime and Corruption hearings into last year’s Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay local government elections.

The hearings heard Ms Toland approached the CFMEU asssitant state secretary Andrew Sutherland to ask for assistance during her campaign.

“I was trying to get in front of many people as possible,” she said

Ms Toland said she wanted Mr Sutherland’s help to meet members to ask for volunteers.

Mr Sutherland later organised a meeting with CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar and Ms Toland where she was told the union had not really considered running a campaign on the Gold Coast.

“If they were to do anything they would be running their own show,” Ms Toland said.

“I was very clearly put to me that they are very good at running campaigns.”

The union did later decide to run launch a campaign on the Gold Coast, including having signage featuring photos of Ms Toland on trucks and buses and hi-vis work shirts printed up for members.

media_camera Penny Toland election signage. Picture: Jerad Williams

A CFMEU campaign office was also set up near Ms Toland’s campaign office.

Ms Toland said she was unaware of the advertising or shirts until she saw them or was alerted of their presence by friends.

“I wasn’t aware of interested (in what they were doing),” she said.

“I was quite time poor.”

Ms Toland said it’s as not until after the election she asked how much the union spent on their Gold Coast campaign.

She said she asked due to curiosity about the cost of running a similar campaign in the future.

media_camera Penny Toland, at the CCC (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Mr Sutherland than provided Ms Toland with an itemised invoice of the expenses totally almost $40,000.

The expenses were not included in Ms Toland’s disclosure returns.

“That’s what third party disclosure is for,” Mr Toland told reporters after giving evidence.

“I think I have done the right thing.”

Ms Toland said she had read the candidate handbook after lodging disclosure and still believed she had acted in accordance with the law.

Mr Sutherland and Mr Ravbar are set to give evidence later today.