Balmain Greens MP admits to using taxpayer funds for NIMBY flyers
Balmain MP Kobi Shetty said she will pay the money back if she is found to have breached entitlement rules following The Daily Telegraph’s explosive revelations that she used parliamentary allowances to help activists fight against building new homes.
Greens MP Kobi Shetty has admitted to using taxpayer funds to advertise a NIMBY anti-development meeting held outside her electorate, in a breach of parliamentary entitlement rules.
It comes after Ms Shetty was accused of using her taxpayer-funded printing allowance to advertise a community meeting held outside her electorate opposing the Inner West Council’s plan to tackle the housing crisis.
Ms Shetty admitted to printing flyers for the Better Future Coalition in her office, claiming it was a “reasonable” use of taxpayer funds.
“It’s reasonable for me to be supporting (the) community who live in my electorate who are concerned about an issue that is going to have a very significant impact to people who live in the electorate of Balmain,” she said.
She promised to pay for the printing costs, if she is found in breach of the rules.
“I will definitely rectify any issues that are identified by Parliamentary Services,” she said.
MPs get a taxpayer-funded communications allowance to print material for their electorates, but strict rules are in place governing how it can be used.
Material printed with parliamentary allowances need to be related to parliamentary business, and must contain an authorisation.
She then shut down further questions from The Daily Telegraph.
“I believe I’ve answered your questions,” she said..
Her admission follows emails obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealing the inner west anti-development group worked with Ms Shetty before a public meeting last month opposing a council plan for higher density developments.
According to the emails, Ms Shetty printed flyers for the “Better Future Coalition” in her office, and loaned the group audio equipment for a public meeting.
Before a July 27 public meeting at Marrickville’s Addison Road Community Centre, organisers said they had secured support from Ms Shetty and Greens Newtown MP Jenny Leong.
“Kobi has agreed to loan us their sound equipment which I will collect on the Friday before the meeting so that it will be fully charged,” one organiser said in an internal email seen by the Telegraph.
“I will be receiving the final amendments to both the flyer and the leaflets within the next half an hour and will immediately forward them to Kobi’s office for printing.”
Flyers for the event, posted to Facebook and plastered around Marrickville, accused the Inner West Council of pushing through “31,000+ new homes, no new sportsfields or parks”.
The Better Future Coalition is campaigning against a plan from Inner West Council to increase housing supply.
The council’s “Fairer Future Plan” would permit apartment blocks of up to 11 storeys around railway stations, to enable more than 30,000 extra homes.
A formal complaint has now been lodged with the Department of Parliamentary Services, requesting an investigation into the alleged breach.
MPs get a taxpayer-funded communications allowance to print material for their electorates, but strict rules are in place governing how it can be used.
Material printed with parliamentary allowances need to be related to parliamentary business and must contain an authorisation.
According to the complaint, seen by the Telegraph, the campaign material allegedly printed in Ms Shetty’s office did not contain authorisation.
It was also distributed in Marrickville, in the state electorate of Summer Hill.
“It’s really disappointing that the Greens member for Balmain continues to campaign against any new homes being built while we are going through the worst housing crisis in living memory,” Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne said.
“Public money should be used to build more homes, not to fund political campaigns against building homes.”
Ms Shetty did not return calls, texts or emails.
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Originally published as Balmain Greens MP admits to using taxpayer funds for NIMBY flyers
