Beef baron’s engages in charm offensive amid blue-chip land war
One of Queensland’s richest men had an employee and his wife lobby powerful players on his behalf in order to see through a planning change that favoured his interests. SEE THE TEXT AND EMAIL EXCHANGES
QLD News
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A lieutenant of one of Queensland’s richest men messaged a Palaszczuk government minister asking her to give the Deputy Premier “a nudge’’, days before Steven Miles signed off a planning change favouring the billionaire’s business interests.
After Mr Miles introduced the new planning control requested by richlister meat mogul Trevor Lee’s company, Mr Lee’s right-hand man followed up his text messages to minister and local MP Di Farmer with a thumbs up and a love heart emoji.
The candid texts between David Foote, former chief executive officer of Mr Lee’s Australian Country Choice empire, and Ms Farmer were part of a flurry of personal exchanges between the business and some of the government’s senior figures.
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They were exposed in documents tendered to the Planning and Environment Court in ACC’s appeal against Brisbane City Council’s approval of a mega-gym near its meatworks.
The appeal hearing exposed the rift between two of the state’s richest men, over how some of Brisbane’s most valuable riverfront land in an industrial area will be developed.
Recipients of the messages, emails and letters sent on behalf of the beef baron’s company included ministers and top bureaucrats.
They reveal the frantic extent of lobbying by ACC against the TotalFusion Morningside gym, on a prime site, called Rivermakers, owned by property developer and waste removal king Balfour Irvine.
The luxury 5570sq m indoor gym and rock climbing wall is just down the road from ACC’s $200m Cannon Hill abattoir and beef processing factory.
ACC claims the gym is unnecessary, unsuitable for a major industrial area and will exacerbate traffic problems.
Just days before the appeal hearing started on July 8, Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Mr Miles introduced a Temporary Local Planning Instrument, favouring existing industry in the area, which included ACC.
In March, then directors-general of the Premiers and Planning departments, Dave Stewart and Damien Walker, had a private meeting at ACC’s headquarters with Mr Lee, his fashion designer wife Keri Craig-Lee and other directors.
The ACC group voiced concerns about the gym and other “non-industrial uses’ on the nearby Rivermakers site, the court heard.
ACC’s consultant town planner Greg Ovenden suggested the state could introduce a TLPI, which could protect the company’s and local industry’s interests.
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Two days later, Keri Craig-Lee emailed Mr Walker and Mr Stewart, saying: “If you can keep working at offering ACC assistance as soon as possible it would be greatly appreciated.”
In a series of texts, tendered in court, Mr Foote – the business face of ACC for years – continued to press the case for Mr Miles to take some action.
After the council rejected the TLPI proposal, Mr Foote messaged Mr Miles pleading for his urgent assistance.
On June 22, Mr Foote also messaged Mr Miles’s chief-of-staff, saying: “The next step requires your Minister to sign off. I trust and hope you could get this to the top of his pile please.’’ She told him it was “on the priority list’’.
In a text to Treasurer Cameron Dick’s chief-of-staff, Barnaby Kerdel, Mr Foote said: “We now need Steven Miles to sign – any clues on who we push to get him to sign?”
Eleven days before Mr Miles signed off on the TLPI, Mr Foote texted Member for Bulimba Di Farmer, saying: “I hear TLPI is on Steven’s desk just waiting for his autograph – hope you can nudge.’’ She later replied: “He’s on top of it.’’
On June 29, Mr Miles introduced the two-year TLPI for the Colmslie Road Industry Precinct, which includes ACC and the Rivermakers site and overrides council’s planning scheme.
It said it was to protect the area from inappropriate non-industrial uses and discouraged non-industrial uses involving indoor or outdoor sport and recreation.
Mr Miles is not accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the TLPI.
A spokesman for Mr Miles said ACC last year requested a ministerial call-in to prevent the gym opening, but Mr Miles did not opt to call the development in.
Mr Miles had noted the abattoir’s concerns about urban encroachment into the industry precinct, where several heavy industry users had operated for a long time.
He had approved a TLPI, based on department advice, the spokesman said.
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