How a 'real mummy's boy' ended up leading Tasmania's second-largest city
By Joe Colbrook August 31 2025 - 5:30am
You might not realise it, but Sam Johnson is a bit of a mummy's boy.
The City of Launceston council chief executive said he actually backed away from a career as a detective because of it.
A candid interview with City of Launceston boss Sam Johnson | August 2025
"I've always had a brain for problem solving and wanting to understand what's wrong and make it right," Mr Johnson said.
"I did the preliminary courses and so forth when I was 17, I even got accepted into an advanced intelligence program in Canberra and I went 'no'. The reason I went no, and I say this unashamedly, is I'm a real mummy's boy."
Sam Johnson in the City of Launceston council chambers. Picture by Paul Scambler
Family values
Mr Johnson said both his parents, a truck driver and a nurse, did their best to provide for the family and although he and his brother wanted for nothing it was far from "beer and skittles".
Before they lived the Australian dream of owning their own home the family lived in social housing - something Mr Johnson wears, along with his public school education, as a badge of honour.
He described his mother as a formidable woman - the sort of person who did not shy away from speaking her mind and set him on the straight and narrow.
"The person I fear the most in life is my mother. She instilled in us, at a very young age, that you do not lie," Mr Johnson said.
"My brother and I still to this day, and he's older than me, still fear mum more than anyone and anything else."
His father, on the other hand, was more reserved but still a font of wisdom - reminding his son on his 21st birthday to not let ego and hubris get the better of him.
"He just looked at me and he said, 'just remember, no matter who you are, wherever you land that at the end of the day somebody still has to sweep the floor'," Mr Johnson said.
"He was a nice subtle reminder of that. Mum is a very brutal reminder of that."
Sam Johnson and mayor Matthew Garwood after Mr Johnson was announced as council chief executive in 2024. File picture by Craig George
Let your losses be lessons
Before he was employed at the City of Launceston, Mr Johnson was a banker, mayor, and then council chief executive in his native South Australia.
The successes, and failures, along the way all shaped him into the man he is today.
This included early in his career when, while working at ANZ, made the sort of mistake that required an internal investigation.
Although he recounted his boss saying "I wish you hadn't told me that. It would have just been so much easier", he owned up.
This resulted in, as he put it, the privilege of meeting the bank's integrity, ethics, and reputation board.
"Let me assure you, that isn't a fun invitation," Mr Johnson said.
"But at the end of it, it was a good experience, an experience I'll never forget."
Another moment that tested his integrity was when, while in local government in South Australia, a whistleblower came forward.
After reminding them that he couldn't "un-know what I know", Mr Johnson said they confided in him.
"They told me what it was and that led to a massive three-year investigation - and not about me, about other people, very senior people within the sector - and a lot of pain that I didn't need to go through," he said.
"In the position that I held, I would be equally as bad by just saying, 'Oh, you know, it's not really my pay rate, it's not really my remit'."
Mr Johnson said these taught him the value of integrity, and he expected everyone who worked under - or alongside - him to do the same, and they should expect to be held accountable if they didn't.
Sam Johnson behind the scenes at the Albert Hall as it undergoes renovations. File picture by Craig Peter George
'Unnecessary point scoring' over Harvard
Mr Johnson has long said he sees his role at the council as a public servant, offering frank and fearless advice to the elected representatives and implementing their decisions.
From the outside it appears this has not gone over too well - recent council meetings have become fractious and given the appearance of a divide between elected representatives and council staff.
"I take a view, quite bluntly, that there's some unnecessary point scoring occurring, which is really unfortunate," Mr Johnson said.
"It probably goes to show that some people haven't really enjoyed the level of accountability that has been applied in recent times."
A recent example of this "unnecessary point scoring" were attempts to drum up controversy around a $27,000 trip to the United States to attend a professional development course at Harvard.
Some of the details around this were leaked to media, despite being subject to the confidentiality rules surrounding closed council sessions.
Mr Johnson was firm - councillors approved the trip, and it was one of several options presented to them for consideration.
He said at any other level of government professional development would be uncontroversial, if not desirable, and Launceston was not the only council to offer its staff the chance to improve their skills in the region let alone the state.
"Every executive in public administration and the private world goes through professional development. Our staff here do it, and I'm very proud that our staff do it, and we've ramped that up because we should," Mr Johnson said.
"My expectations of our people have also gone up equally with that level of investment. We have a responsibility to the people of Launceston, and I expect good quality outcomes consistently."
As to why he thought there were attempts to undermine him, the chief executive said it was an attempt at retaliation by those who had come under scrutiny.
"That's what I would call weaponisation and sabotage at its best," Mr Johnson said.
"It's very unfortunate, it's very disappointing, but that also shows that sometimes people when they're deeply threatened will drop to the lowest common denominator."\
Sam Johnson in his office. Picture by Paul Scambler
Still a boy from the 'burbs?
Despite his life in Launceston being worlds apart from his upbringing, Mr Johnson says he's still got a soft spot for the suburbs - they are him "as a human being".
He described the council as "a bit elitist" when it came to public investment - prioritising investment in the CBD at the expense of areas like the northern suburbs.
"You've got this such difference in Launceston where you've got extreme wealth, and then you've got extreme poverty. You've got a little bit of in-between, but you've just got this chalk and cheese comparison.
"I do believe Launceston has a role, as a council, to play in that."
This didn't have to be a major spend all at once, he said.
Simple things, like properly maintained footpaths and other council facilities went a long way towards improving the feel, and quality of life, for those who lived outside the city centre.
"We don't plant one flower out in the northern suburbs. I couldn't tell the last time we planted a tree out in the northern suburbs. We can fix that," Mr Johnson said.
"That's not a significant investment and that starts to instill community pride.
"If we don't show that we care about our own assets and a part of our own city, then how do we expect our people to care?"
This is a multi-year endeavour, and one he hopes to see through as the organisation shifts to align with the latest 10-year strategic plan.
Although it is up to the 12 councillors to decide how long he stays at the helm, the council chief executive had some thoughts about how long he would stay in the role.
"There's nothing worse than a hanger on, where someone stays in a role because they feel entitled to stay in a role," Mr Johnson said.
"When I feel I've done what I can do, I'm quite happy to then hand the over to the next person. Because that's what public administration should be."
A candid interview with City of Launceston boss Sam Johnson | August 2025
"I've always had a brain for problem solving and wanting to understand what's wrong and make it right," Mr Johnson said.
"I did the preliminary courses and so forth when I was 17, I even got accepted into an advanced intelligence program in Canberra and I went 'no'. The reason I went no, and I say this unashamedly, is I'm a real mummy's boy."
Sam Johnson in the City of Launceston council chambers. Picture by Paul Scambler
Family values
Mr Johnson said both his parents, a truck driver and a nurse, did their best to provide for the family and although he and his brother wanted for nothing it was far from "beer and skittles".
Before they lived the Australian dream of owning their own home the family lived in social housing - something Mr Johnson wears, along with his public school education, as a badge of honour.
He described his mother as a formidable woman - the sort of person who did not shy away from speaking her mind and set him on the straight and narrow.
"The person I fear the most in life is my mother. She instilled in us, at a very young age, that you do not lie," Mr Johnson said.
"My brother and I still to this day, and he's older than me, still fear mum more than anyone and anything else."
His father, on the other hand, was more reserved but still a font of wisdom - reminding his son on his 21st birthday to not let ego and hubris get the better of him.
"He just looked at me and he said, 'just remember, no matter who you are, wherever you land that at the end of the day somebody still has to sweep the floor'," Mr Johnson said.
"He was a nice subtle reminder of that. Mum is a very brutal reminder of that."
Sam Johnson and mayor Matthew Garwood after Mr Johnson was announced as council chief executive in 2024. File picture by Craig George
Let your losses be lessons
Before he was employed at the City of Launceston, Mr Johnson was a banker, mayor, and then council chief executive in his native South Australia.
The successes, and failures, along the way all shaped him into the man he is today.
This included early in his career when, while working at ANZ, made the sort of mistake that required an internal investigation.
Although he recounted his boss saying "I wish you hadn't told me that. It would have just been so much easier", he owned up.
This resulted in, as he put it, the privilege of meeting the bank's integrity, ethics, and reputation board.
"Let me assure you, that isn't a fun invitation," Mr Johnson said.
"But at the end of it, it was a good experience, an experience I'll never forget."
Another moment that tested his integrity was when, while in local government in South Australia, a whistleblower came forward.
After reminding them that he couldn't "un-know what I know", Mr Johnson said they confided in him.
"They told me what it was and that led to a massive three-year investigation - and not about me, about other people, very senior people within the sector - and a lot of pain that I didn't need to go through," he said.
"In the position that I held, I would be equally as bad by just saying, 'Oh, you know, it's not really my pay rate, it's not really my remit'."
Mr Johnson said these taught him the value of integrity, and he expected everyone who worked under - or alongside - him to do the same, and they should expect to be held accountable if they didn't.
Sam Johnson behind the scenes at the Albert Hall as it undergoes renovations. File picture by Craig Peter George
'Unnecessary point scoring' over Harvard
Mr Johnson has long said he sees his role at the council as a public servant, offering frank and fearless advice to the elected representatives and implementing their decisions.
From the outside it appears this has not gone over too well - recent council meetings have become fractious and given the appearance of a divide between elected representatives and council staff.
"I take a view, quite bluntly, that there's some unnecessary point scoring occurring, which is really unfortunate," Mr Johnson said.
"It probably goes to show that some people haven't really enjoyed the level of accountability that has been applied in recent times."
A recent example of this "unnecessary point scoring" were attempts to drum up controversy around a $27,000 trip to the United States to attend a professional development course at Harvard.
Some of the details around this were leaked to media, despite being subject to the confidentiality rules surrounding closed council sessions.
Mr Johnson was firm - councillors approved the trip, and it was one of several options presented to them for consideration.
He said at any other level of government professional development would be uncontroversial, if not desirable, and Launceston was not the only council to offer its staff the chance to improve their skills in the region let alone the state.
"Every executive in public administration and the private world goes through professional development. Our staff here do it, and I'm very proud that our staff do it, and we've ramped that up because we should," Mr Johnson said.
"My expectations of our people have also gone up equally with that level of investment. We have a responsibility to the people of Launceston, and I expect good quality outcomes consistently."
As to why he thought there were attempts to undermine him, the chief executive said it was an attempt at retaliation by those who had come under scrutiny.
"That's what I would call weaponisation and sabotage at its best," Mr Johnson said.
"It's very unfortunate, it's very disappointing, but that also shows that sometimes people when they're deeply threatened will drop to the lowest common denominator."\
Sam Johnson in his office. Picture by Paul Scambler
Still a boy from the 'burbs?
Despite his life in Launceston being worlds apart from his upbringing, Mr Johnson says he's still got a soft spot for the suburbs - they are him "as a human being".
He described the council as "a bit elitist" when it came to public investment - prioritising investment in the CBD at the expense of areas like the northern suburbs.
"You've got this such difference in Launceston where you've got extreme wealth, and then you've got extreme poverty. You've got a little bit of in-between, but you've just got this chalk and cheese comparison.
"I do believe Launceston has a role, as a council, to play in that."
This didn't have to be a major spend all at once, he said.
Simple things, like properly maintained footpaths and other council facilities went a long way towards improving the feel, and quality of life, for those who lived outside the city centre.
"We don't plant one flower out in the northern suburbs. I couldn't tell the last time we planted a tree out in the northern suburbs. We can fix that," Mr Johnson said.
"That's not a significant investment and that starts to instill community pride.
"If we don't show that we care about our own assets and a part of our own city, then how do we expect our people to care?"
This is a multi-year endeavour, and one he hopes to see through as the organisation shifts to align with the latest 10-year strategic plan.
Although it is up to the 12 councillors to decide how long he stays at the helm, the council chief executive had some thoughts about how long he would stay in the role.
"There's nothing worse than a hanger on, where someone stays in a role because they feel entitled to stay in a role," Mr Johnson said.
"When I feel I've done what I can do, I'm quite happy to then hand the over to the next person. Because that's what public administration should be."
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