Palaszczuk Government to meet with Property Council in move to ban developer donations
THE Palaczszuk Government is pushing forward with plans to stop property developers from contributing to political parties. But some say a wider review is needed.
QLD Politics
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THE Palaszczuk Government will meet with stakeholders including the Property Council on Wednesday ahead of the introduction of new laws banning developer donations.
It is understood there is a push to introduce the changes this week as the government begins to implement sweeping reforms contained within the Crime and Corruption Commission’s damning report into the 2016 council elections.
The CCC recommended banning developer donations along with 30 other reforms to address the findings of Operation Belcarra and clean up the local government arena.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would be meeting with the Property Council and the Local Government Association of Queensland this week ahead of introducing new laws to enable the developer donation ban on both a council and State level.
The Courier-Mail understands those meetings will be held on Wednesday.
Government MPs are anticipating a special caucus meeting could be called on Wednesday or Thursday to inform them of the law changes ahead of their introduction.
Whether any of the CCC’s other recommendations will be addressed in the first batch of laws is not yet known.
“I have already indicated my support for two of the report’s key recommendations – a ban on developer donations and better mechanisms for addressing conflict of interest concerns in council decisions,” Ms Palaszczuk told State Parliament yesterday.
She said the government fully supported 21 of the CCC’s recommendations with the remainder supported in principle.
Ms Palaszczuk pledged to ensure any new laws introduced as a result went through the proper committee process meaning they will not be rushed through the House.
Both the Property Council and the LGAQ issued statements on Tuesday calling for the government to ensure any changes are fair.
Property Council Queensland executive director Chris Mountford called for a wider review of political donations to be conducted by the CCC before any bans were implemented, focusing on more than just the council area.
“The Property Council remains strongly of the view that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and we are willing to support actions that will strengthen community confidence in the political system.
“It is clear to us that to deliver this equity and community confidence, a wider review that does not have the obvious scoping limitations of Operation Balcarra is required.”
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