After a lavish European trip by southeast Queensland councillors in 2012, the state's deputy premier says they should consider paying the money back.
Steven Miles said on Wednesday current sitting councillor Paul Tully could or should consider paying ratepayers back after Mr Tully and three other members of Ipswich City Council jetsetted on a taxpayer-funded study tour.
The Nine Network revealed former mayor Paul Pisasale, his then deputy Mr Tully, and executives Carl Wulff and Jim Lindsay undertook the two-week tour to the United Arab Emirates and Europe to drive redevelopment in Ipswich.
Pisasale is now serving seven-and-a-half years' imprisonment for dozens of offences stemming from his time in office.
A Crime and Corruption Commission investigation found the four engaged in non-official activity in their trip that cost more than $170,000.
Mr Miles said the government took "one of the harshest actions" when in 2018 it dismissed democratically elected officials in Ipswich over corruption allegations, but added Mr Tully should consider paying the funds back.
"That action was not taken lightly. It was taken in consideration of the gravity of the allegations made against those councillors including of these lavish trips," Mr Miles said on Wednesday.
"Those who received those benefits could consider whether they should contribute those funds back. But it's not as if you can reverse the charges.
"Councillors like Councillor Tully could or should consider whether they should pay back some of those funds. I'd certainly urge them to consider that.
"At the end of the day, these are funds that were expended 10 years ago. I'm not sure there's a practical way the state government could recoup them."
The state opposition has called on the premier and government to intervene regarding Cr Tully's tenure at Ipswich City Council.
"Clearly his position is untenable," Opposition Leader David Crisafulli told reporters on Wednesday.
"When you have members of the of the Labor cabinet saying so, clearly that is the case."
AAP has contacted Cr Tully for comment.
