The corrupting influence of developers is a far greater evil than the perceived unfairness of banning their donations, Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) chairman Alan MacSporran has said.

A CCC report released on Wednesday detailed 31 recommendations to overhaul local government rules following a lengthy investigation into the Ipswich, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay and Logan councils.

Mr MacSporran has hit back at critics — including the Queensland Opposition and the Property Council — which said his recommendation to ban developer donations should extend to unions who support the left of politics.

"What we've done is to address a very real and present corruption risk, which is a far greater evil than any tilting collaterally of the balance of power in that sense," he told ABC Radio Brisbane.

"It's an unarguable proposition that developers have undue influence in the political process and they should be banned from having such."

Trad hopes for changes before next state election

The Queensland Government has promised to implement the developer donation ban for state and local candidates, with Deputy Premier Jackie Trad in favour of making changes before the upcoming state election.

"Personally, I think it's important that we do it in this term, but I think we need to await the advice that will be included in the Premier's submission to Cabinet around whether or not this is possible," Ms Trad said.

Mr MacSporran also defended the CCC's decision not to pursue some mayors and councillors for breaching the Local Government Election Act, although he was scathing of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.

"I don't think it's fair to say that we've given him a free pass," he said.

"We have — in public — exposed his [Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate's] behaviour, which frankly, as you put it, is appalling.

"We've proposed how it can be corrected and we lose nothing, in our view, by failing to recommend that he be prosecuted, bearing in mind that these offences carry modest fines and soak up huge resources in progressing them to a prosecution stage.

"The greater good is served by fixing the system so this can't happen again, and when we say fix the system we're proposing greatly increased penalties for this sort of behaviour so that there'll be a real deterrent for anyone to engage in it in the future."