Developer got favourable rezoning after giving $20,000 to Shoalhaven Independents, MP tells Parliament
JUST months after making a sizeable donation to the election campaign of Shoalhaven Mayor Greg Watson and the Shoalhaven Independents Group, a property developer enjoyed a major windfall when a block of land it had bought was rezoned from residential to business.
The windfall was among a number of issues brought before State Parliament yesterday when Greens MP Lee Rhiannon raised questions about political donations to the Shoalhaven Independents Group and planning decisions.
During debate on the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Restoration of Community Participation) Bill of 2008, Ms Rhiannon placed the spotlight squarely on Shoalhaven City Council.
The said a number of councils around NSW had already been investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption “where the current laws have failed to protect local citizens from the ravages of corrupt practices”.
However ICAC had not investigated Shoalhaven City Council, and Ms Rhiannon said, “I am not stating that local councillors have been involved in corrupt practices.
“However recent events with regard to donations and planning decisions at that local council area raise many questions, questions that the mayor, Mr Greg Watson, must respond to,” Ms Rhiannon said.
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“I understand that the election campaigns of Mayor Watson and the Shoalhaven Independents Group are characterised by large donations enabling substantial media promotion compared with the activities of all other groups and candidates in the area.”
Ms Rhiannon said Election Funding Authority records showed the Shoalhaven Independents Group received donations totalling $91,107.60 for the last local government election.
“This extraordinary level of funding swamped the financial capacity of any individual or group running in the election.
“It was far in excess of donations accepted for electoral purposes in the history of the Shoalhaven,” Ms Rhiannon said.
Of that total $78,000 came from 10 major donors - all of them except the Manildra Group involved with property development in the Shoalhaven, Ms Rhiannon told the Legislative Council.
“As an interest group, property development accounted for 97 per cent of the large donations and at least 84 per cent of total donations to the party.”
She raised the specific case of WD Pty Ltd, headed by Michael Corban, which donated $20,000 to the Shoalhaven Independents Group.
Mr Corban “purchased several contiguous blocks of residential land on the central business district fringe six months after the 2004 Shoalhaven election.
“Following meetings with the mayor, council supported rezoning the land Business 3B in 2004 through a local environmental planning amendment,” Ms Rhiannon said.
“Such rezoning of the site pre-empted completion of the design and consultation process behind the East Nowra sub arterial road linking the Princes highway to Greenwell Point Road,” Ms Rhiannon said, before her speech was cut short by concerns her words were duplicating evidence submitted during a Parliamentary inquiry into election funding, and accepted in camera.
But while the speech was cut short, it was still enough to provoke an angry response from Cr Watson.
“Anyone who makes allegations under parliamentary privilege is a gutless rat,” he said, while refusing to discuss issues raised by Ms Rhiannon.
However, Mr Corban denied his donation had anything to do with the land being rezoned.
He said he bought the land when he wanted to relocate his car yard, before deciding the process was too difficult and he was better off renting a block of land across the road.
However he was full of praise for Cr Watson.
“I’d always support anybody who has the foresight and ability of a guy like Greg Watson,” Mr Corban said.