Developer and Moreton Bay Regional Council candidate appear at CCC Operation Belcarra hearing

Redcliffe developer and two-time unsuccessful Moreton Bay Regional Council candidate appear at CCC Operation Belcarra hearing.

Kimberly James appears at the CCC public hearing as part of Operation Belcarra.

THE CCC inquiry into the 2016 Moreton Bay Regional Council election yesterday heard from a two-time unsuccessful candidate and a developer who backed a three-time successful candidate.

Kimberly James lost the Caboolture-based Division 3 ballot in 2012 and 2016.

Redcliffe developer David Trask financially supported winning mayoral candidate Allan Sutherland in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 council elections.

Ms James and Mr Trask were witnesses yesterday at the CCC Operation Belcarra public hearing at Fortitude Valley into the 2016 council elections of Moreton Bay, the Gold Coast, and Ipswich.

The presiding officer at the inquiry is Alan MacSporran and Glen Rice is counsel assisting.

A prominent issue at the hearing has been third-party political donors.

Ms James received financial assistance from the construction union, the CMFEU, for “$32,000-odd”.

She had first met CMFEU state secretary Michael Ravbar at a networking breakfast before the 2015 Labor Party State Conference.

With the help of a friend, State Labor MP Chris Whiting, she later met again with Mr Ravbar and pitched for union support.

“One of the things I’ve always been quite strong on is the treatment of workers and with this particular council, and so I was able to — you know, I spoke on that,” Ms James told the CCC hearing.

After the 2016 Moreton Bay Regional Council election Ms James failed to complete a donation disclosure form within the required period, although she had recorded her donations on a spreadsheet.

“I know it sounds ridiculous. I didn’t fully understand the consequences or the significant nature of that form,” Ms James said.

Presiding officer Alan MacSporran said he did not wish to pry or embarrass the witness, but did Ms James have some personal reasons for not having lodged the disclosure return?

“Yes, I do,” Ms James replied.

Developer David Trask said he operated through about 40 business enterprises after developing properties since 1994, including “quite a lot” in the Moreton Bay Region.

Mr Trask told the hearing he has known Cr Sutherland since his (Mr Trask’s) early days as a mechanic at Sundown Marine.

“I class him as a friend now,” Mr Trask said. “We go fishing. We’ll catch up for a drink.”

Mr Trask supported Cr Sutherland financially at the 2008 election when Pine Rivers and Caboolture Shires and Redcliffe City amalgamated into Moreton Bay Region.

“A large volume of our work was within the Moreton Bay region,” Mr Trask said.

“He (Cr Sutherland) was the only person that had a plan on how to bring three councils together.”

Mr Trask told the hearing he classified Cr Sutherland as an associate in 2008 and friendship came later.

In 2012 Mr Trask donated to Cr Sutherland’s mayoral campaign and was “instrumental” in setting up a fundraiser at Lakeside Raceway. Cr Sutherland attended the fundraiser.

In 2016 Mr Trask again donated to the Cr Sutherland campaign and approached others for donations.

“(I) rang up some people that I do business with and asked them to kick the can for money,” Mr Trask told the hearing.

He knew of Moreton Futures Trust as “a third party vessel that was there for the purpose of collecting funds for, you know, political candidates”.

“It was an option for donors to send money to the Moreton Futures for the purpose of his (Cr Sutherland’s) campaign,” Mr Trask said.

He said that at the time he did not know who administered the trust.

He was given the name Kirby Leeke — he could not remember by whom — as the contact with regard to Moreton Futures Trust.

This led to “just a telephone call to ask his (Mr Leeke’s) address to drop cheques off”.

“There may have been others (telephone calls) but I don’t recall,” Mr Trask said.

He said he thought he personally donated to the Moreton Futures Trust.

“There were donations that I sent directly to the Mayor and I think that there was a donation to the Moreton Futures Trust as well.”

Mr Trask conveyed his preferences to Mr Leeke for Allan Sutherland to benefit from the Moreton Futures Trust discretionary allocation of funds donated.

When kicking the can for money, Mr Trask gave donors the option of giving directly to Cr Sutherland or through Moreton Futures Trust.

“Moreton Futures Trust, in my mind, as I suggested to them, was a better vessel because it was a third party.

“Some people are touchy about, you know, politicians receiving donations. I’ve already been hung out to dry in the press enough, so it didn’t worry me anymore.”

At the beginning of the campaign, Mr Trask offered to pay all Mr Sutherland’s expenses but he changed his mind.

“I figured if I could raise funds from other people, that would lighten my load.”

During the course of the 2016 campaign Mr Trask told the hearing he did not have had any reason to discuss the operation of the Moreton Futures Trust with Cr Sutherland.