Campbell Newman seeks advice from Integrity Commission after failing to declare wife's property portfolio
PREMIER Anna Bligh says LNP Leader Campbell Newman should follow the lead of "every other politician in Australia" and declare his pecuniary interests.
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PREMIER Anna Bligh says LNP Leader Campbell Newman should follow the lead of "every other politician in Australia" and declare his pecuniary interests.
""If you want to run the show, you've got to be prepared to open your books. Every other politician in Australia does it," ms Bligh told reporters in Brisbane.
"The best disinfectant is sunshine."
She said mounting pressure on Newman over his finances iwas the result of media scrutiny, not a Labor smear campaign.
Queenslanders will be wondering why Newman is reluctant to reveal his interests and deserve answers, she added.
Mr Newman said he had written to the Integrity Commission seeking advice on whether he should declare his pecuniary interests following revelations in The Courier Mail that he had failed to declare his wife's stake in a property that gained high-rise development approval from the Brisbane City Council on his personal interests register.
The LNP Leader today denied he had broken any rules by failing to declare his wife's interest in a property development on his interest register in Council.
"The Labor Party have made political accusations about the issue in today’s story since 2006, and those accusations have continually been shown to be false,'' Mr Newman said in a statement.
"Since I have held public positions, I have met all the disclosure requirements and my wife’s interest as a beneficiary in her father’s superannuation fund has always been declared.
"To further put this issue beyond doubt, I yesterday wrote to the Integrity Commissioner seeking his advice as to whether there is anything more I need to do in relation to this issue of disclosure of interests."
Mr Newman made statement after The Courier-Mail revealed he had failed to declare his wife's stake in a property that gained high-rise development approval from the Brisbane City Council on his personal interests register.
The former Brisbane lord mayor claimed that the Spring Hill property was owned by his father-in-law in his statement of interests submitted to the council in April. However, property searches reveal his wife, Lisa, is a co-owner of the property with her father, Frank Monsour.
Mrs Newman, who maintained a desk in Mr Newman's office throughout his time as lord mayor, now stands to reap a significant windfall from the $25 million development, with the plush inner-city apartments selling for up to $2.1 million.
The Government has demanded Mr Newman declare an up-to-date statement of interest, arguing as a matter of principle he was obliged to match the disclosure of MPs.
Mr Newman has resisted, arguing that there was no legal requirement to do so and all his interests had been declared for years.
Mr Newman's failure to mention his wife's co-ownership on his publicly available register will reinvigorate the Government's calls for him to disclose all his interests.
It is understood Mrs Newman did declare her interest in the property on the spousal register, however this is hidden from the public.
The register rules give conflicting advice as to whether Mr Newman should have declared his family's interests.
Given Mr Newman's name is not on the property's deeds, he may not have had to because the rules state councillors "must only declare interests they hold alone or in common with a related person".
However, the rules also require councillors to declare all "financial or non-financial interests known to you that raise, appear to raise or could potentially raise a conflict".
Mr Newman told The Courier-Mail last week he ensured there was no involvement by himself or his office when the Spring Hill development first came before the council.
He said he wrote to then chief executive Jude Munro requesting he be excluded because of his father-in-law's involvement.
Mr Newman's spokeswoman yesterday insisted he would have been in breach of the rules had he listed his wife's interests.
"In listing the interests of Dr Monsour in both Campbell and Lisa's returns, the Newmans have gone beyond any legal requirements and erred on the side of caution in disclosing any potential conflicts of interest,'' she said.
"It is absolutely important to note that Campbell holds no interests whatsoever in any of the properties listed.''
Dr Monsour first applied to build a high rise on the corner of Leichhardt and Downing streets in early 2006.
Six months later, Dr Monsour removed his wife's name from one of the key properties in the development and added his daughter's. The proposal to build the residential tower between two heritage-listed homes prompted dozens of objections.
The council approved the high-rise development with 10 units in early 2007.
These documents list the Frank Monsour Oral Surgery Superannuation Fund as the owner, of which Mrs Newman is a beneficiary.
However, Dr Monsour is now pursuing the council through the Planning and Environment Court to increase the density of the "Mountview Residences'' to 15 units.
Real estate marketing states there are still seven units from $695,000 available with two bedrooms, and five units from $885,000 with three bedrooms.
There are also two units that take up a complete floor with three bedrooms and a media room priced from $2.1 million.
"I have put my heart and soul into creating a high-quality project which will set the benchmark for inner-city living in Brisbane for years to come,'' Dr Monsour has said.
