Qld mayor defends wife's council job

A Queensland mayor has defended his wife being put on council payroll after questions were raised about her appointment.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale says his wife Janet was only employed because an assistant quit at short notice and he needed somebody to drive him around.

"The CEO said to me, `well, can Janet step in for a while until we find someone' because with my multiple sclerosis I need someone driving at night time," he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

"He said `we need to do it properly and officially, why don't you just send me a quick email suggesting that' and I nearly caused divorce."

Mr Pisasale defended his wife's appointment as a council casual administrative assistant after the ABC obtained several internal council emails, including one that indicated he instigated it.

Mrs Pisasale was paid $14,000 between September 2013 and August 2014.

She was only supposed to hold the position for a month but the job was difficult to fill because of the late night hours involved, Mr Pisasale said.

There is no suggestion any laws were broken.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refused to weigh in on the issue.

"That's a matter for Paul," she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said anyone with concerns about the appointment should report them to the relevant authorities.