Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate will review the purchase of Commonwealth Games tickets by his chief executive to make sure council staff are not receiving taxpayer- funded "freebies".
Cr Tate bought into the ticket allocation controversy on Wednesday via a lengthy Facebook post.
![Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate lashed out at Peter Beattie on Wednesday.](http://web.archive.org./web/20171018145740im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/9/t/b/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx9t74.png/1499839619864.jpg)
The mayor said while he would be attending some Games events in an official capacity himself, he had also bought public ballot tickets.
"I don't think ratepayers should be buying me tickets to various sports outside my official duties," he said.
"Other pollies shouldn't get free tickets nor should senior council management get any freebies either.
"It's not right and, dare I say it, 'it doesn't pass the pub test'."
Cr Tate said he had directed council chief executive Dale Dickson to provide him a detailed list of what tickets were bought for who and for how much.
"I'll then decide what are the genuine advocacy opportunities and what are not," he said.
"If tickets are intended to be just freebies for councillors to just go and watch certain sports then I'll be making sure we get a refund of ratepayers' funds on them."
Cr Tate also lashed out at Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman Peter Beattie earlier in the day over his criticism of the council's tickets.
Cr Tate called the former Queensland premier an "overcooked" media tart at a press conference and said he needed to shut his mouth and concentrate on doing his job.
The bitter words followed a scathing attack by Mr Beattie earlier in the week about the council's decision to gift tickets to councillors.
Mr Beattie also took a swipe at reported infighting at the council that resulted in the leaking of an email from Mr Dickson about its tickets issue.
"Clearly there was an act of bastardry here designed to undermine the CEO and his reappointment," he said on Monday.
"Those sort of stupid games have got no place in the Games at all. None."
AAP