Whistleblower makes surprise claim over Sekisui House approval process
Mayoral candidates have vowed to investigate a whistleblower’s allegations that Sunshine Coast Council planning staff were urged to change recommendations over the controversial Sekisui beachside development and other plans, if they win the top job.
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Mayoral candidates have promised to investigate whistleblower claims Sunshine Coast Council officers were urged to change recommendations over the controversial Sekisui beachside development and other contentious developments, if elected.
This publication approached all Sunshine Coast mayoral candidates after the claims came to light.
In 2018, the council was presented with a report recommending approving Sekisui House’s Yaroomba Beach five-star resort and housing development, despite planning staff believing it should be refused.
It was proposed that the development would have a five-star hotel along with 753 residential apartments, 98 two- to three-storey homes and a retail village.
The project attracted the highest number of public submissions of any development application in Queensland at the time, with 9288 submissions against the development and nearly 3000 in support.
Ultimately, the Yaroomba Beach development proposal was approved by the Sunshine Coast Council in a six-to-five vote on June 21, 2018.
This approval triggered the community group Development Watch raising half a million dollars to fight the decision in court, with the group and developers at loggerheads for the best part of the past decade.
The legal stoush ended after the sale of the 18.5ha beachfront land to the Victorian-based Dennis Family Corporation, which will offer the former Sekisui House land at Yaroomba to market by mid 2024.
Sunshine Coast councillor Joe Natoli said this week the whistleblower had come forward to him with the accusation.
The allegation is not new but was detailed previously by the Sunshine Coast Daily.
A Right to Information release published by the council in 2021 showed planners had been preparing to recommend refusal of the billion-dollar project just weeks before it was eventually recommended for approval and secured councillors’ approval in a six-five vote at a special meeting.
A council spokesman at the time said it was common practice for reports to undergo several iterations.
“In line with common practice across local governments, all reports (including development assessment reports) to council meetings undergo successive drafts and several layers of approval to ensure all details are correct, factual and meet legislative requirements and that all relevant advice and input is incorporated,” the spokesman said.
“This has been the practice in the Sunshine Coast Council since 2008 and in its predecessor councils.”
Mr Natoli said he would be taking the matter further, pushing for an official investigation, as requested by the whistleblower.
To verify the validity of the claim, Mr Natoli asked the whistleblower if former councillor Greg Rogerson could call him to confirm the version of events.
“To ensure the veracity of this information, I asked the whistleblower whether former councillor Greg Rogerson could call them to confirm what I am saying is correct, Greg Rogerson was a councillor at the time,” Mr Natoli said.
Mr Rogerson went on the record to verify the validity of the claims with this publication.
“I contacted the whistleblower to confirm that he had said the things that he had said,” Mr Rogerson told the Sunshine Coast Daily.
“He informed me that the original assessment that was done by planning officers was put forward as a refusal.
“Before the report was tabled at the next council meeting, that refusal had been changed to an approval.”
The whistleblower alleged there were other examples of officers being directed and recommendations being reversed, with Mr Natoli and Mr Rogerson both verifying that claim that was put to them.
“They told me that since that decision was made, there’s been subsequent ones that have been directed as well,” Mr Natoli said.
“I’ve been told that this was one of many development applications that have been dealt with in a similar fashion,” Mr Rogerson said.
Development Watch president Lyn Saxton said the whisteblower claims did not surprise her.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions, there are questions that we would like answered,” Ms Saxton said.
“This does not surprise me if this is true, it does not surprise me at all.
“What I would like to see with the new council is a full investigation into the whole affair.”
The allegations were put to Sunshine Coast Council, with a council spokesman responding with “council does not comment on election candidate claims”.
Mayor Mark Jamieson, who in 2018 voted in favour of the Sekisui development, said he understood Mr Natoli had referred the matter to a state body for consideration.
What the mayor hopefuls have to say
Ashley Robinson OAM backed calls for an investigation into allegations there was interference in the provision of advice to councillors that led to approval.
“It is absolutely essential the community has confidence the council is making decisions based on sound, independent advice from its officers,” Mr Robinson said.
“The community deserves to see these matters fully investigated.
“As mayor, I will always defend the planning scheme unless there is a clear, transparent and accepted reason for the public good.”
Michael Burgess stated that he would commit to a full investigation into the allegations.
“I would commit to a full investigation from the beginning of my campaign,” Mr Burgess said.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are enormous issues that have to be brought to the surface and dealt with.”
Rosanna Natoli said that “any allegations need to be investigated very seriously”.
“I think that any allegations need to be investigated very seriously, because there have been different scuttlebutt in the community about these kinds of issues over many years,” Ms Natoli said.
“The community has lost faith in the council decision making process and that’s what we need to return to our elected representatives and to our community.
“They need to have faith that their elected representatives are doing the decision making based on the best possible processes.”
Wayne Parcell PSM also committed to supporting an investigation into the allegations if elected.
“I’d commit to investigating the issue to determine whether or not there was any improper conduct in that process and if there was, there should be a swift referral to the appropriate authorities,” Mr Parcell said.
“They’re very serious allegations and they need a swift investigation.”
Min Swan also committed to an investigation “from a community trust perspective”.
“With allegations as serious as that you would have to have an investigation just to even clear the name or to prove the allegations for community trust,” she said.
“From a community trust perspective you would have to.
“Transparency, trust, openness is all what I stand for.”
Cr Jason O’Pray, who voted against the Sekisui House development, called for an investigation into the matter.
“Of course, I would support any internal investigations and external investigations,” Mr O’Pray said.
“I have a long history with the Sekisui application as it was in my division, division eight.
“I’ve always stood with the community and I’ve always voted against the application.”
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