Geoff Ablett allegedly strategised to win support on land rezoning issue
Notes from a meeting between ex-Casey mayor Geoff Ablett and the head of a residents group show how the pair allegedly strategised on how to win a Labor candidate’s support on a major plan to rezone land, that would boost its value.
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Former Casey Mayor Geoff Ablett allegedly strategised about how to win Labor candidate Pauline Richard’s support for a major land rezoning, documents uncovered during a corruption probe reveal.
Cr Ablett returned to the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission for his third day of grilling today, as the watchdog probes allegations of planning-related corruption at Casey Council.
The former Hawthorn premiership player, and brother of football great Gary Ablett, previously claimed he played no “part” in pushing decisions that furthered the interests of “friend”, Watsons director John Woodman.
The commission was today shown notes from a June 2018 meeting Cr Ablett had with Ray Walker, the head of a residents group allegedly set up by a Watsons consultant.
The notes show a “strategy” to quiz Labor’s candidate for Cranbourne, Pauline Richards, about why the Planning Minister Richard Wynne had not signed off on the rezoning of industrial land at Cranbourne West.
The rezoning would have boosted the land’s value by $100 million.
“His (Cr Ablett’s) strategy was to put a casual question to Pauline,” the notes claim.
“Tell her that the council approved the rezoning, the panel approved it, all the boxes have been ticked off and that Richard Wyn (sic) should have signed off on it by now. What is the hold up?”
The notes also claim that Cr Ablett believed that “bureaucrats are fighting a rear-guard to have the rezoning amendment over turned and that is the reason for the delay in Richard Wynne in signing off the document”.
“They must be stopped and we agreed, he (Cr Ablett) was quite strong about that.”
The notes then claim that Ms Richards, now the rookie Member for Cranbourne, would be pushed to speak to Mr Wynne directly and threatened with a “massive campaign” against Labor in the marginal seat.
“We need to say to Pauline, that this is a major issue for us,” the notes recorded.
“If Richard Wynne does not sign off on the rezoning to residential now, then we will put together a MASSIVE campaign against Labour (sic).”
Cr Ablett told the commission that he “wasn’t holding Pauline Richards to any threat at all”, and has never asked her to lobby Mr Wynne.
He was also grilled on the part he played in ousting former Casey Council chief executive, Mike Tyler.
Mr Tyler, who was dubbed a “thorn” in Mr Woodman’s side because he opposed the rezoning, left the council last year after more than two decades.
In a secret recording played to the commission last week, Cr Ablett told Mr Woodman that he had Mr Tyler “in a corner” before he “nailed” him.
“So every time he moved left or right or forward or back I had him covered and then eventually I started gathering the information,” Cr Ablett said in the call.
“After six weeks we had him in the corner and then I f---ing nailed him.”
The notes from the June meeting also record Cr Ablett as having told Mr Walker that rezoning would only happen over the then-chief executive’s “dead body”.
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Counsel assisting the commission, Michael Tovey QC, suggested that Cr Ablett was “obligated” to Mr Woodman, and therefore “set up to do a hatchet job on Mike Tyler”.
But Cr Ablett denied that Mr Tyler’s opposition to the rezoning had nothing to do with his ousting, and that all councillors had issues with his performance.
“At that time there were all 11 councillors had some concerns with Mr Tyler,” he said.
“I did play a role representing the group after we went to governance and went through a really rigorous process to try to patch up some issues.”
Cr Ablett will return to continue giving evidence after lunch.