Labor-linked lobbyist Philip Staindl given $500k ‘success fee’ from developer John Woodman: IBAC
Philip Staindl was paid a “lucrative” fee by developer John Woodman for a “high-risk” project, an IBAC hearing was told.
Victoria
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A Labor-linked lobbyist has admitted accepting a $500,000 “success fee” from a developer accused of corruption for land rezoned in Melbourne’s southeast.
An IBAC hearing on Monday heard lobbyist Philip Staindl and a former business partner shared a $1m payment from developer John Woodman in 2012 for land in Cranbourne South.
The $1m windfall was reward for the rezoning of green wedge land on a former Cranbourne South farm known as Brompton Lodge for residential development.
Mr Staindl agreed the fee was “lucrative’’ but it was a “high-risk” project for him.
“Because that was purely on a success fee basis and there was every chance that the rezoning would not be granted,’’ he said.
“But at the end of the day it was, so my portion of the success fee was $500,000.’’
Laws were introduced in Victoria in 2014 to ban such fees to political lobbyists.
Asked if he had “ongoing’’ arrangements with Mr Woodman when the ban came into force, Mr Staindl said he had a $250,000 “success fee proposal agreement” for rezoning of land at Cranbourne West.
Mr Staindl said he did not cancel the agreement at the time because “the rezoning matter was a long way off’’ and he wanted to see if there was a change of government in 2014 and changes to the policy.
“By midway through 2015 it became obvious there wasn’t going to be a change and I knew … I had to end that success fee arrangement,’’ he said.
He said he had a conversation with Ferrari-driving Mr Woodman that he would not pursue the deal if the rezoning occurred because it was “prohibited’’.
But counsel assisting, Michael Tovey QC, said the fee was still being discussed in a conversation, secretly recorded, between Mr Staindl and Mr Woodman from March 2019.
“There was discussion about both his and your fees being held in trust,’’ Mr Tovey said.
Mr Staindl, an ALP member of more than 40 years and former president of Labor fundraising arm Progressive Business, said he was paid a $3000 monthly retainer by Mr Woodman from 2016-18.
He was also grilled about political donations Mr Woodman made to Labor, including up to $200,000 a year for “platinum’’ membership of Progressive Business.
Mr Staindl said such membership gave access to “speed dating’’-type forums with some senior ministers.
The Herald Sun last year revealed Premier Daniel Andrews attended a 2017 lunch at up-market Chinese restaurant Flower Drum with Mr Woodman and Mr Staindl.
Hearings into allegations of serious corrupt conduct in planning and property development decisions at Casey Council continue on Tuesday.
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