Anti-corruption commission’s report highlights how developers buy influence, but premier stresses complexity of planning process
After the release of the report, Andrews sought to draw a line between the appropriateness of people gaining access to politicians at fundraising events via donations and Ibac’s findings about undeclared cash payments being ferried between councillors and Woodman.councillors out in the city of Casey are getting bags of cash, suitcases of cash ... that’s not on,” Andrews said.
The report made no adverse comments or findings against Andrews, who gave evidence behind closed doors. But, when giving evidence to Ibac, Andrews acknowledged that he attended many fundraisers and a 2017 lunch at a restaurant with Woodman. The lunch arose from a winning bid at a political fundraising event, a bid of more than $10,000. The premier said he had no recollection of Woodman or his associates raising planning matters with him.
The report also references an intercepted conversation between Woodman and an associated Labor-linked lobbyist, Philip Staindl, in March 2019, in which the latter referenced a conversation with the premier at an earlier function. It said Staindl had given evidence that the premier asked him to apologise to Woodman for the government’s deferral of a rezoning decision because of allegations of corruption “by a journalist who was an ‘arsehole’”, and praised the developer’s contributions to the
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Crazy plan’: Daniel Andrews proposes two-year rent freezeVictorian Premier Daniel Andrews has proposed a “crazy plan” of implementing a two-year rent freeze, says Saturday Herald Sun columnist Steve Price. According to Mr Price, the number of property investors putting their properties on the market, selling them and getting out, has gone “through the roof”. “If you put a rent freeze on and then everybody starts selling those rental properties because they don’t want to be investors anymore – you’re going to have an even bigger homelessness problem,” Mr Price told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “He’s only mulling it, I think, what he normally does is he polls these things to death and then when he works out what the general public’s thinking, he’ll make a decision.”
Read more »
Daniel Andrews dragged into IBAC probeA month after Matthew Guy shared his infamous “lobster with a mobster”, Daniel Andrews was enjoying Chinese dumplings with an allegedly dodgy property developer.
Read more »
‘I reject that’: Andrews government defends high-rise blitz in MelbourneThe Andrews government has copped backlash over reported plans to bypass council approvals to create more high density and high-rise housing around the state's new transport hubs.
Read more »
Andrews proposing one million new dwellings over 25 years to ‘solve the housing crisis’Sky News host James Macpherson says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is proposing a plan to build one million new dwellings over the next 25 years, to be built within inner Melbourne suburbs, to “solve the housing crisis”.
Read more »
Andrews’ secret evidence over links to allegedly corrupt developer revealedPremier Daniel Andrews told IBAC he had lunch with John Woodman but didn’t recall him raising planning issues. The anti-corruption commission made no adverse findings against the premier.
Read more »