Plan to ban developers from standing in local government elections

This could be the last local government election with candidates who have links to property developers, as a push to ban them from sitting on councils grows stronger.

Saturday’s local government elections could be the last to permit candidates with property development links to run for their local council, with the potential for conflicting interests a hot-button issue ahead of the statewide polls.

Labor has made repeated pushes to have the occupation black-listed from council elections, with a vote getting up in the Upper House earlier this year.

And the issue has only heated up, given the impending elections have unearthed alleged links between some candidates and developments.

Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott.

Hills Shire Councillor Peter Gangemi.

The Daily Telegraph revealed on Wednesday that Police Minister David Elliott had referred Hills Shire councillor and Liberal mayoral candidate Peter Gangemi to the Independent Commission Against Corruption over alleged non-disclosure.

Mr Gangemi has refuted the allegations that he did not disclose his family’s ownership of property in the council area while voting through major planning outcomes in multiple instances, saying the claims were politically motivated.

In the well-heeled and tightly contested Hunters Hill electorate, independent mayoral candidate Richard Quinn — who previously headed the municipality from 2012 to 2017 — said “anyone who has anything to do with the property industry shouldn’t be anywhere near it (council)”.

“I don’t think anyone involved in the property sectors should have anything to do with local government … I think they should totally be at arm’s length from anything to do with planning controls,” he said.

Hunters Hill mayoral candidates Richard Quinn …

… and Zac Miles.

Liberal mayoral candidate Zac Miles is a senior investment manager at WholeCap, which describes itself as an “an alternative provider of finance to property developers and commercial real estate borrowers”.

Mr Miles, who also sits on the Liberal Party’s state executive, said he works in the capital raising team of the firm and is not directly linked to projects that are given funding.

“If you were going to raise the argument about anyone (linked to development), no accountant who conveyanced a property deal could ever work at council,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

A councillor since 2012, Mr Miles said he had “never done any dealings with developers that have developed anything in Hunters Hill”.

“There’s obviously concerns out there in relation to broader Sydney, but Hunters Hill is a small municipality and we don’t have much development there and don’t want much development here,” he said.

Parramatta Councillor Donna Davis wants developers kept off council. Picture: John Appleyard

Parramatta Labor councillor Donna Davis, who is running for re-election, in September, moved a motion to block developers running in Saturday’s ballot.

“There is a real feeling in the community that Sydney is experiencing a big development boom,” she said.

“Those people responsible for determining major planning proposals and rezoning of land should not be conflicted with making those decisions.”

Opposition local government spokesman Greg Warren has been a major driver of attempts to ban candidates with development links.

“Local councils need to be about local communities,” he said.

“The bill would provide communities with certainty that their elected representatives have their best interests at heart.”