Khal Asfour: Wendy Lindsay, Tania Mihailuk level allegations at Canterbury-Bankstown mayor

A southwest Sydney council will undergo an independent review led by one of the state’s top barristers in light of explosive allegations aired under parliamentary privilege.

A southwest Sydney council will undergo an independent review led by one of the state’s top barristers in light of explosive allegations aired under parliamentary privilege.

Claims of improper planning processes have been raised against Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour for the second time in the space of 24 hours, with a second NSW MP tabling a slew of allegations.

Liberal East Hills MP Wendy Lindsay told NSW Parliament she had “longstanding concerns”, highlighting a 2016 Bankstown council meeting saw an “open conversation between councillors and developers” lead to “many changes” to planning controls around Segers Ave, Padstow.

At the time, Ms Lindsay was the Padstow Park Public School P&C president and her political career had not yet begun.

The allegations come a day after Mr Asfour’s Labor colleague and Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk raised concerns in Parliamanent about the mayor’s relationship with disgraced powerbroker Eddie Obeid, and planning processes in Bankstown.

Bankstown Labor MP Tania Mihailuk is set to lose her shadow cabinet position after making allegations against Khal Asfour. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Earlier today, NSW Labor leader Chris Minns told 2GB’s Ben Fordham Ms Mihailuk is no longer a member of his shadow cabinet.

Ms Lindsay, who has held the East Hills seat since 2019, told Parliament what she saw at the 2016 Bankstown council meeting was an “absolute disgrace”.

Liberal MP for East Hills, Wendy Lindsay, said she had ‘longstanding concerns’ about Canterbury-Bankstown council, run by Mayor Khal Asfour.

“It was an open conversation between councillors and developers that resulted in many changes to the South East Local Plan, with members of the public in the gallery furious with what they witnessed transpiring that evening,” she said in the Legislative Assembly.

“Discrepancies similar to this are found throughout the LEP for East Hills. There is just something very fundamentally wrong with these local environment plans.

“I implore the current planning Minister, Anthony Roberts, to not only put this plan in the rubbish bin where it belongs but also to investigate the Member for Bankstown’s comments last night in relation to property impacted by LEPs.”

Canterbury-Bankstown council CEO, Matthew Stewart, today confirmed council has engaged one of Australia’s leading barristers, Arthur Moses SC, to oversee an inquiry into allegations made by Ms Mihailuk.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has called the allegations a ‘gutless attack’, and said his family is deeply upset. Picture: Tim Hunter.

He also confirmed the independent inquiry will be led by experienced investigator, Ms Kath Roach, of SINC Solutions.

Mr Stewart said the allegations made under parliamentary privilege were an attack on the integrity of Council and hardworking staff and it was incumbent on him to investigate the claims.

“We have approached the best to ensure a thorough process is undertaken”, Mr Stewart said. “I owe it to the staff, the integrity of the Council and our entire community.”

Mr Stewart said he convened an urgent meeting this morning with Mr Moses and Ms Roach to discuss the allegations and the next steps forward, calling the meeting ‘positive’, providing council with a clear path forward.

Arthur Moses leaving the Federal Court in Sydney, after representing Ben Roberts-Smith. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

He said Mr Moses has been retained to conduct oversight and advise council’s review of the allegations, including the investigation being undertaken by Ms Roach, and any steps that may need to be taken by the council following the investigation.

Mayor Asfour said on Wednesday that Ms Mihailuk undertook a “gutless attack and a slur on his good reputation”, and challenged her to repeat the allegations out of Parliament.

“She is citing matters from 2012, this reeks of sour grapes at being overlooked on Labor’s upper House ticket,” Mr Asfour said. “My family is deeply upset and rightly so.”

Mayor Asfour said he was just one member of council and proper procedures had been followed every step of the way.

The Express asked council, and Mayor Asfour, for their response to the allegations levelled by Ms Lindsay, and did not receive responses on those allegations prior to publishing.