Andrews in rough patch as donation details slow to drop
Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman has emerged as a major player at state government level with revelations he donated to Daniel Andrews’ campaign but the Premier was careless in not coming forward sooner, writes Tom Minear.
Opinion
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Two weeks ago, Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman’s name sped into the headlines thanks to a bombshell corruption hearing.
On top of allegedly bribing two Casey councillors with $1.2 million in payments, it quickly became clear his willingness to splash cash wasn’t confined to local government.
He has been a major player at state government level as well, donating $400,000 to political candidates over the past three terms, including almost $160,000 to Labor last year when he thought they would be re-elected.
Two weeks ago, when Daniel Andrews was first asked if Woodman had donated to his campaigns, the Premier said: “I don’t believe so.”
Andrews also said he had attended events where Woodman had been present but, when asked if their relationship was close, he said: “I wouldn’t describe it in those terms, no.”
On Tuesday, he was forced into an embarrassing clarification.
Woodman had donated $2500 to his campaign to enter state parliament 17 years ago.
While the money was on donation records, it was careless — if not reckless — that Andrews did not come clean sooner, especially as the corruption hearings were told of Woodman’s donations to other Labor figures including ministers James Merlino and Martin Pakula.
As for the closeness of their relationship, Andrews raised more questions than answers when he admitted a Premier’s Charity Golf Day in 2017 was organised by Woodman.
The pair dined at the Flower Drum to discuss Woodman’s idea, to raise money for Monash Children’s Hospital, and Andrews showed up at Sandhurst Golf Club months later to present a trophy.
It was all for a good cause, Andrews said. Sure, but how many people with good causes have the sway to secure a lunch with the Premier — let alone convince him to lend his title to an event?
At the time of the intimate Flower Drum meal, Labor was on the attack over Matthew Guy’s “lobster with a mobster” dinner where he met alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi (who has previously strenuously denied crime links and has never been charged with an offence).
Andrews revelled in trashing Guy’s credibility.
It was also reported that Madafferi’s planning lobbyist was Woodman. Andrews said on Tuesday that he became aware of that — but he went along to the golf day anyway.
Yes, the scale of Woodman’s alleged activities wasn’t clear two years ago, and he is not an alleged mafia figure.
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But when the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission started to unravel the murky mystery last month, Andrews should have been on the front foot to explain his connection to Woodman.
We still don’t know how many times they have met, when a diary search would surely provide the answer.
In golfing terms it’s as simple as making a three-foot putt for par, which the Premier usually doesn’t miss. And it’s too late for a mulligan now.
WHAT DAN SAID THEN
“Only those involved can account for the people they associate with, who they take money from and how they conduct themselves. I think it’s pretty clear today that organised crime (figures) don’t think very much of me, they don’t like me very much, they don’t like the Labor Party very much. I’ve never had a lobster with this bloke (Madafferi), nor would I.”
AUGUST 9, 2017
“Each and every minister in the government is fully aware — when it comes to tender processes, licensing processes, all processes that are active and competitive — of their considerable obligations to always act with utmost probity … neither I nor any of my ministers would be off having meetings, for instance, in a kitchen deciding how to rezone land. We would not be rezoning land in someone’s kitchen.”
IN PARLIAMENT, JUNE 8, 2017
“When people who are senior office-holders in a political party are found to have conspired to hide donations from alleged organised crime figures — when you are out to dinner with those alleged organised crime figures and when you cannot get your story straight on whether there were 25 people at the dinner or 12 people at the dinner or seven people at the dinner or whether you drank the wine or you did not drink the wine — there are some people who are not fit to sit in that chair, let alone this one.”
IN PARLIAMENT, AUGUST 27, 2018
“There is a better way, though, and this government will deliver it (donation reforms) in full. Whether we can put an end to lobsters with mobsters or the sort of penthouse pet behaviour we have seen over here we will have to wait and see.”
IN PARLIAMENT, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
WHAT HE SAYS NOW
“It (a charity golf day) was an appropriate thing for us to sit down and talk about.”
TUESDAY
“If this individual (John Woodman) had raised an individual planning matter with me, then the meeting would have been over. In those meetings and all meetings, I act appropriately.”
TUESDAY