Opposition Leader Michael Daley approved at least six other residential apartment blocks
Revelations that Michael Daley green-lighted developments following donations to the ALP continue to emerge as the Opposition Leader’s memory takes a holiday; Labor’s planned wealth tax on boats and cars is blasted by relevant industries and a former Howard-era minister has died. NSW POLITICAL WRAP
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EXCLUSIVE: Opposition Leader Michael Daley green-lighted at least six other residential apartment blocks in Sydney’s east following donations to the ALP, including one from a developer who was a member of a neighbouring Labor Party branch.
In several of the developments residents were unable to stop the projects going ahead despite council reports at the time showing they broke rules around height, bulk and floor space ratios.
In one case, developer Michael Petrovic — who had belonged to the South Maroubra branch of the Labor Party since 1997 — submitted a DA for a block of nine units and shops at Bunnerong Road in 2003, listing his name as M Petrovic.
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The DA attracted complaints for being “excessively large” and breaching council building heights but Randwick Council minutes show Mr Daley chaired the meeting to wave through the project — despite the objection of two councillors — in November 2003, without declaring a conflict of interest.
In March 2004 Mr Petrovic’s company, Sam Properties, attended an ALP fundraiser and gave $10,000 to the campaign team running for council, which included Mr Daley.
A few months later Mr Daley was at a council meeting that approved another DA to increase the height of the building, and did not disclose a conflict.
The developer then donated $2000 to his state by-election campaign on 13 September 2005.
Last night Mr Daley declined to answer specific questions about the six cases, claiming they were “nebulous” and “rules and laws were different then”.
“I have been in public life for 23 years, the past 13 in the NSW parliament.
“At no time until three and a half weeks before a closely fought state election have these matters been raised, even though they have been on the public record all that time,” Mr Daley said.
Other cases uncovered include a $3.5 million 2004 DA by property developer Mark Alexander, whose company donated $1200 to the ALP Randwick Council ticket in February 2004.
The company also bought $3000 worth of fundraising tickets for the ALP team.
In August that year Mr Daley, as chair of the council’s planning committee, approved the DA for Mr Alexander’s $3.5 million seven-storey development, despite a council report saying that it breached a six-storey height limit.
Local residents complained that the 24 residential and three commercial unit plan overshadowed their homes, blocked their views and affected privacy.
And the 35 carparking spots included in the plans would add to traffic woes.
“Such developments are putting a strain on existing infrastructure, increased traffic congestion and overcrowding,” residents said in their complaints.
Mr Daley did not disclose a conflict of interest or excuse himself from the vote.
The donations from property developers were legal but council rules obliged Mr Daley to declare pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests.
Other cases include projects from property developer Steven Christofidellis, who donated $2000 to the NSW ALP branch through one of his companies, Exceland Property Group, in September, 2002.
The following month Randwick Council considered a DA from one of his other companies for a 33 unit development in McKeon Street Maroubra.
The council officer’s report cited concerns on “bulk, scale, setbacks, heights and parking”. A motion to reject the DA was made, but Mr Daley voted against it and it was approved.
Car tax plan ‘will be dire’ for auto industry, farmers
By Edward Boyd
A proposal by the ALP to introduce a new wealth tax on boats and cars has been blasted by the automotive, farming and boating industries, which claim the tax grab will hurt their businesses and inflate the cost of electric vehicles.
On Tuesday, NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley said, if elected, he would pay for an additional 5500 nurses and midwives by increasing stamp duties on the purchase of luxury yachts worth more than $200,000, and on vehicles worth more than $100,000. He said the increases would raise about $240 million.
“This modest contribution from some of the wealthiest in our society will help everyone. This is fair,” he said.
Duty on cars worth more than $100,000 would rise to $7 per $100 above that price.
It has been dubbed the “LandCruiser tax” by the car and farming industries, and automotive dealers are fearful the price increase will hurt the industry which is struggling through the drought and tightening credit market.
“This will be sold as a tax on luxury vehicles and it’s been suggested this proposal will target those driving Maseratis,’’ Australian Automotive Dealer Association CEO David Blackhall said.
“Let’s be very clear, at that price point this tax will fall on a top-selling vehicle such as the Toyota LandCruiser, a car which motorists in regional and rural areas would describe as a necessity rather than a luxury. This policy will also make most of the electric vehicles available in Australia significantly more expensive, which makes a mockery of any attempts to promote the uptake of electric vehicles.”
Mr Blackhall said the motoring industry in NSW — which employs about 22,500 people and contributes more than $700 million to the state’s coffers — had been struggling due to recent economic conditions.
“New car sales declined by 6 per cent in NSW in 2018, over three times more than any other state in Australia,” he said.
NSW Farmers president James Jackson said his organisation would have “deep concerns” about such a tax being applied to farmers, who often buy kitted out LandCruisers as a bush necessity.
“Farmers can spend a lot of money on their vehicles, but they are not for the purpose of luxury,’’ Mr Jackson said.
“They are purchased as workhorses and for safety and practical reasons.”
Daley suffers a bout of memory loss over events
By Clarissa Bye and Danielle Messurier
Labor Leader Michael Daley struggled to answer questions on Tuesday over his failure to disclose donations when approving DAs as a Randwick councillor, claiming that he couldn’t “recreate events from my memory”.
The Opposition Leader said there were “many people” at fundraising dinners and he didn’t necessarily know who were donors.
Electoral disclosure forms obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal some of the ALP fundraising dinners for his council team held in February 2004 sold as few as 16 tickets and included property developer donors.
“I didn’t know they were donors at the time — sometimes the developments went in different names,” he said.
He also distanced himself from disgraced ALP powerbroker Eddie Obeid, despite thanking him in his maiden speech.
“I did not meet Eddie Obeid until 2005, didn’t know him, never spoke to him, didn’t meet him until I got into parliament,” he said.
Council minutes have revealed that Mr Daley signed off on a controversial development in Mons Ave, Maroubra for the Obeid family’s business partners.
But Mr Daley said that he “did not like that development”.
“I still don’t like it, I see it every day … I got rolled in my caucus and voted for it. I don’t have the benefits of the minutes now, they don’t go back that far.”
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said Mr Daley had “serious questions to answer” over his relationships with Mr Obeid and the Mons Ave development.
“There is no excuse for not knowing who has donated to your election, he sat on the chair of the development committee and had a responsibility as chair to know his donors so he could excuse himself. He needs to answer his hypocrisy on spot rezoning like this one here at Mons Ave,” he said.
Hospital safety culture needs to change
To make sure patients and staff remain safe, NSW hospitals need to change the culture around security.
That is the damning finding of former Labor health and police minister Peter Anderson’s interim report into hospital safety, which was released on Tuesday and made 48 recommendations.
Commissioned by the NSW government, the review revealed security manuals and some procedures were interpreted and applied differently across the system.
“It must be clearly understood by all that adopting policies and then failing to implement those policies is indefensible,” the report said.
“Arguments opposing standardisation of matters such as these beggars belief.”
It said staff who had been threatened or assaulted should also be encouraged to report the assault to the police and be supported through any criminal proceedings.
Extra security training for staff was also recommended.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a new incident management system was due to be rolled out over the next two years.
“Whether you are a patient, visitor or you work in a hospital, your safety is vital which is why I asked Mr Anderson to look at whether more could be done,” Mr Hazzard said.
Former Howard minister John Herron dead at 86
Former Howard government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs minister John Herron has died, aged 86.
Dr Herron served as a Queensland senator from 1990 to 2002 and was minister from 1996 to 2001.
The former surgeon was one of the first international medics to attend victims of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
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A stalwart of the conservative wing of the then Liberal Party in Queensland, Dr Herron was one of the founders of the Lyons Forum, which agitated for family values policies within the Coalition.
After his political career, Dr Herron served as Australia’s ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See from 2002-06.
He was also served in the Royal Australian Medical Corps Reserve, and twice held the role of president of the Queensland Liberal Party before entering the Senate.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would be remembered as a man dedicated to others as a parliamentarian, surgeon and humanitarian.
“The great theme of John Herron’s life was medicine,” Mr Morrison said.
“It was tremendous life experience he brought into the parliament.”
The Prime Minister noted Dr Herron’s volunteer work in post-conflict Rwanda, saying he saw things that were unimaginable. “He suffered for seeing them.
“On behalf of the Liberal Party and the Government, I extend to his wife Jan and their many children and descendants, our sincerest condolences,” Mr Morrison said.
More funds for DV shelters
Labor Leader Michael Daley has promised to provide an extra 200 domestic violence housing places as part of a $158 million package to better protect women and children.
The “specialist beds” would be given to priority areas including Penrith, Goulburn, north coast, Taree, Kempsey, Bega.
If elected premier next month, Mr Daley vowed the ALP would restore funding to the area, claiming the Coalition cut $20 million from domestic violence shelters.
Under the plan Labor would deliver an annual statement on how the government was progressing on the issue.
“Labor is making the prevention of domestic violence a key commitment,” Mr Daley said on Tuesday.
A ‘big win for Sydney’
The International Convention Centre Sydney has created more than 5000 jobs since opening in December 2016 and helped NSW cement its place as a premier global events destination.
Deloitte Access Economics modelling found that in 2018 there were more than 1.3 million visitors to the Darling Harbour venue, who contributed $820 million to the state.
This was up 4.5 per cent on the 2017’s $785 million.
Minister for Finance, Services and Property Victor Dominello said the figures show the success of the $1.5 billion development. “The figures speak for themselves — ICC Sydney is a big win for Sydney,” he said.