Deputy premier among Labor MPs to receive donations from developer John Woodman
Deputy Premier James Merlino is the most senior Labor minister to be roped into the saga surrounding Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman, who faces allegations he attempted to pay for influence on planning matters.
VIC News
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The huge reach of Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman’s political donations has been laid bare in anti-corruption hearings, showing government MPs across Victoria benefited from his largesse.
Deputy Premier James Merlino is the most senior Labor minister to be roped into the saga surrounding Mr Woodman, who faces allegations he attempted to pay for influence on planning matters.
The Member for Monbulk received $4000 before the 2018 state election from Mr Woodman’s development company Watsons, the IBAC hearing was told, joining Jobs Minister Martin Pakula and backbench MPs from the southeast who reaped thousands of dollars each.
While Mr Woodman is most active around Casey and Mornington areas, he also donated to Mary-Anne Thomas in the central Victorian seat of Macedon, MP Dustin Halse’s eastern suburbs seat in Ringwood, and failed Ferntree Gully candidate Julie Buxton.
The Andrews Government said last night that “all donations are declared appropriately”.
However, the revelations of almost $160,000 coming from one developer have raised questions about the influence of major companies on state and local government projects.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien this morning called for reforms to local government donation rules, as he accused the state government of being “politically compromised” because of the number of Labor MPs who received donations in the “unfolding scandal” involving Mr Woodman.
“It seems they’ve all had their snouts in the trough,” he said.
Mr Woodman told the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearing that he met Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards last year at the Sofitel in Melbourne to discuss planning — at which point he “could have” raised the idea of increasing donations to her state election campaign from $5000 to $20,000.
The developer viewed Ms Richards as crucial to supporting a plan to rezone industrial land to residential land in Cranbourne West, known as the C219 proposal.
Ms Richards said she attended a “short” meeting organised by Labor lobbyist Philip Staindl, and that increased donations were “never contingent on my support for anything”.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Michael Tovey QC, said the Liberal Party received more than $63,000 from Woodman-related companies.
He said current Casey mayor Susan Serey had $16,425 worth of mail-outs paid for.
Mr Woodman said: “Donating to political parties in Australia is not a crime.”
Mr Tovey alleged that Mr Woodman had been setting out to corrupt councillors “willy nilly”, which Mr Woodman rejected.
Secret recordings of conversations between Mr Woodman and Leighton executive Tom Kenessey were played, in which the pair discussed plans to influence planning decisions.
At one point Mr Woodman said putting things in writing could land him “in jail” — something he told the IBAC hearing was a “loose term”.
The hearing was shown emails between Mr Staindl and Mr Woodman about their “friend in the southeast” who was lobbying Planning Minister Richard Wynne about C219.
Mr Woodman told the hearing the “friend in the southeast” was former Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley, who he knew when she was on Mornington Council.
The Herald Sun approached Ms Graley for comment.
Mr Wynne said he was not aware his colleagues had ever approached him about planning matters on behalf of Mr Woodman.
ABLETT’S SECRET BOAST OF ‘NAILING’ CASEY CHIEF
A multi-millionaire developer has claimed the Casey council’s top boss only “got the job” because of him, after a close friend and former mayor “nailed” his predecessor.
The state’s anti-corruption watchdog has heard stunning evidence this morning that councillor Geoff Ablett ousted former CEO, Mike Tyler.
Mr Tyler, who was dubbed an “impediment” to a major development in Cranbourne West, stood down earlier last year after more than two decades at the council in Melbourne’s southeast.
Cr Ablett boasted in a secretly-recorded phone call to developer John Woodman that he “nailed” Mr Tyler.
In the November 2018 phone call, Mr Woodman told the footballer-turned-councillor: “If it hadn’t been for you, we would have still been putting up with Mike Tyler and his antics.”
Cr Ablett implied that he had been undermining the former chief executive, saying “every time he moved left or right or forward or back I had him covered”.
He later said that he “started gathering the information” and “after six weeks we had him in the corner”.
“And then I f---ing nailed him,” he said.
Mr Woodman confirmed to the commission that he had complained to Cr Ablett about Mr Tyler, and suggested the councillor “give consideration to whether or not his (Mr Tyler’s) time was up”.
City of Casey appointed Glenn Patterson as its new CEO in August last year.
In another stunning phone call, Mr Woodman told consultant Megan Schutz: “I don’t know when this f---wit’s going to work out that he’s only got the job because of us.
“Like, um, f---in’ shape up or f--- off.”
Mr Woodman attempted to hose down the suggestion he installed Mr Pattison as the new CEO, saying he was simply “big noting” himself.
“I apologise for the words used there but they are totally incorrect,” he said.
The Watsons director has returned for his sixth and likely final day of grilling before the state’s anti-corruption commission as it probes allegations of planning-related corruption at Casey Council.
The IBAC hearings have been played a series of covertly recorded phone calls, in which Mr Woodman and his associates can be heard allegedly plotting with councillors Cr Ablett and Sam Aziz on how to handle council matters.
The recordings have repeatedly called into question Mr Woodman’s influence over council’s planning decisions and even which councillor would become mayor.
In a November 2018 call played this morning, Mr Woodman and consultant Megan Schutz discussed which Casey councillor would hold a casting vote in the chamber.
“When the mayor leaves the room, before she leaves the room she calls for nominations for the person to take the chair,” Mr Woodman said.
“Someone will nominate (Tim) Jackson and someone will nominate (Rosalie) Crestani. Then they will vote.
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“Because we have the numbers in the chamber at that moment before Fatso (Cr Amanda Stapledon) leaves Crestani will get the nod.
“So that means we’ve got the casting vote but it also means that GA (Geoff Ablett) has got a leverage of massive proportions over me and you for the next 12 months.”
In a fiery exchange, counsel assisting Michael Tovey accused Mr Woodman of “using councillors like pawns on a chess board”.
He also accused Mr Woodman of lying to the commission when he claimed that he and his associates had not directed councillors how to vote on planning matters, but had simply helped “clarify” issues.