Road access to property part-owned by minister John Sidoti delivered him a property fortune
Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to conduct a review into besieged minister John Sidoti’s pecuniary disclosures and other ministerial obligations has been slammed by Labor leader Jodi McKay — who says he should be stood down and referred to the ICAC.
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Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to conduct a review into besieged minister John Sidoti’s pecuniary disclosures and other ministerial obligations has been slammed by Labor leader Jodi McKay — who says he should be stood down and referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
“It’s a cop out, it’s an absolute cop out by this Premier. She has to stand this minister aside — 104 times he gave the same answer to very reasonable questions — you can’t own property and not make appropriate disclosures, and that is what has happened here,” Ms McKay said.
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“If she’s going to lead her party appropriately then she needs to take the hard decision. And the hard decision but the right decision is to refer this matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The right decision is to stand him aside, and the right decision is to sanction him for a breach, perhaps other breaches, of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.”
Ms McKay said if the Premier fails to refer Mr Sidoti to ICAC, then she will herself.
“If the Premier won’t take what action is required as leader of her party then I will,” she said.
“Two weeks ago I had to take what was a very, very difficult decision and suspend our General Secretary (Kaila Murnain). I didn’t hesitate — she’s hesitating, she’s put it off to a review, it’s not good enough,” Ms McKay said.
The furious response from Ms McKay came shortly after Ms Berejiklian said she had ordered a review into Mr Sidoti’s political donation disclosures and whether there have been any conflicts of interest.
The Premier’s call for an inquiry came after Mr Sidoti faced a two-hour grilling over whether his public position had conflicted with his private property interests.
Under intense questioning from Labor and the Greens Mr Sidoti said 104 times he had met all his “disclosure obligations” while repeatedly failing to provide details on how he backed up that claim.
Greens MP David Shoebridge accused Mr Sidoti of “acting grossly inappropriately … if not corruptly” through his positions in planning and transport while privately holding land which would benefit from massive infrastructure projects, the North West Metro and the planned Sydney West Metro.
Ms Berejiklian’s announcement follows Mr Sidoti slamming accusations he used his parliamentary position for personal financial gain.
Mr Sidoti was parliamentary secretary for transport when the department was designing specifications for a new access road to his private land holding in Rouse Hill.
Confirmation of the road’s design parameters handed the MP, now a senior Liberal minister, and his Chinese developer business partners the final measure needed for approval of a $70 million high-rise precinct next to Tallawong station on the government’s flagship $8 billion North West Metro line.
Approval for the four eight-storey residential towers on Mr Sidoti’s part-owned land at 38 Cudgegong Rd was in limbo from September 2015 until December 2017 when the road specifications were confirmed by Northwest Rapid Transit, on behalf of Transport for NSW, the development application reveals.
“I believe the public’s confidence in the integrity of government decision making is absolutely paramount,” Ms Berejiklian said earlier in a statement.
“That is why today I have asked the Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet to conduct a review into allegations that have been made regarding Minister Sidoti’s disclosures and other obligations as a Minister.”
“I regard Mr Sidoti as a hard working MP and Minister and note he has given strong assurances that he has acted appropriately at all times.”
“I believe the Secretary’s independent review is important to ensure there is ongoing public confidence in these matters.”
The secretary will urgently review Mr Sidoti’s compliance with the disclosure requirements of the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct during the relevant periods.
It will also examine whether or not Mr Sidoti — in his current or previous roles — had access to confidential information that may have benefited his personal interest and “whether or not any conflicts of interest were appropriately managed by the Minister in his current or previous roles”.
“Donations are a matter for the NSW Liberal Party organisation and will not be the subject of this review,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Earlier, Mr Sidoti released a statement on Thursday addressing the issues.
“I categorically deny all allegations made against me in the media in recent days,” the statement said.
“All allegations are false. To suggest I used my position as a Member of parliament to influence Government decisions for my private interests, are a gross misrepresentation of fact.
“My pecuniary interests are publicly available and I comply with my obligations. I work extremely hard for the people of NSW. It’s a position I honour and respect.”
Mr Sidoti, who was promoted to NSW Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans in April this year, on Wednesday refused to answer questions on whether he had declared a conflict of interest and excused himself from any deliberations over the access road.
“I comply with my disclosure obligations,” he said.
The revelation comes as the Liberal Party was on Wednesday forced to pay back a banned donation after The Daily Telegraph revealed the source was a developer in business with Mr Sidoti on the Rouse Hill site, Ming Shang.
Donations from developers are banned in NSW and Mr Shang is vice-president of the parent company on the Rouse Hill development, Southern Han International. He donated $1750 at campaign fundraising dinner for Mr Sidoti in 2015.
“The NSW Liberal Party takes our obligations under the state electoral funding and disclosure laws very seriously, and having become aware of an incorrectly received donation we have been working with the NSW Electoral Commission to forfeit that donation,” a spokesman for the NSW Liberal Party said.
Mr Shang, 61, looked dishevelled with ruffled hair and wearing an ill-fitting T-shirt when he answered the door of his Parramatta home on Wednesday. Asked about the donation he said, “I can’t now, I am busy”, before slamming the door.
At budget estimates on Wednesday Planning Minister Rob Stokes faced a barrage of questions over The Daily Telegraph’s revelations of Mr Sidoti’s failure to meet his disclosure obligations and his private business interests.
Ms Berejiklian last night stood by Mr Sidoti.
“The Premier regards Mr Sidoti as a hardworking minister and Member of parliament, who has indicated he has met all disclosure obligations,” a spokesman for the Premier said.
But Opposition Planning spokesman Adam Searle called on Ms Berejiklian to declare what measures she was taking to investigate whether Mr Sidoti had misused his position.
“This is a test of Gladys Berejiklian’s leadership. She can’t just sweep this scandal under the rug,” Mr Searle said.
“The Liberal Premier needs to explain what steps she is taking to ensure that her Liberal Minister has not accepted an illegal donation or misused his Liberal government position.”
Mr Sidoti took a 10 per cent share when Southern Han in January 2014 obtained an option to buy 38 Cudgegong Rd.
In September that year the government approved a $3.7 billion contract which included transforming Cudgegong Rd from a single lane rural road into a major bridge over the planned North West Metro line.
A month later, in October 2014, Mr Sidoti was appointed parliamentary secretary for planning. The following year Southern Han Rouse Hill and Mr Sidoti paid $4.1 million to buy the Cudgegong Rd land, lodging the development application in September 2015 to build 295 apartments.
Mr Sidoti was parliamentary secretary for transport from April 2015 until January 2017 and during this time the department was working on providing specifications for a new access road to Mr Sidoti’s land after the new bridge over the rail line cut off access.
“On 19 December 2017, Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT) … on behalf of Transport for NSW, provided their design specification for the agreed upon access road that traverses the adjoining property owners to the north … and provides access to the site the subject of this DA at 38 Cudgegong Road,” the Central Sydney Planning Panel said in a decision in March last year.
“It was not appropriate to approve this DA previously as the transport corridor to the south of the site caused Cudgegong Road to be raised and replaced at a level that is significantly higher than the subject site,” the panel said.