Planning consultant claims Casey phone taps ruined her career: IBAC hearing
A foul-mouthed planning consultant claims secret recordings of her expletive-ridden rant to high-flying developer John Woodman ruined her career. But an IBAC commissioner has asked her a damning question instead.
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A planning consultant working at the behest of a multi-millionaire developer has revealed there were “red flags” over his allegedly-corrupt dealings with councillors in Melbourne’s southeast.
Developer John Woodman is accused of making $1.2 million in payments to Casey Councillors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett, as IBAC probes allegations of planning-related corruption at the council.
Consultant Megan Schutz, who took “instructions” from Mr Woodman, said today that she was not aware of the payments but, on reflection, there were “red flags everywhere”.
The commission has heard that Cr Aziz last year moved a motion on a contentious Cranbourne intersection that was drafted by Ms Schutz, and that the besieged former mayor didn’t even understand the issue.
In a secretly-recorded phone call before the meeting, a “flat out” Cr Aziz asked Ms Schutz to email him details of what he should argue during the meeting.
“I’m managing three million things at the moment,” he said in the call.
“Do you mind if you write that to me in an email … what is the recommendation that we’re seeking tonight?”
Ms Schutz said today: “He, clearly when I was briefing him, didn’t have his mind on the matter, and he was just doing to do it.”
Asked whether she knew at the time why Cr Aziz was so “amenable” to Mr Woodman’s interests, Ms Schutz said: “No, I was just told that he would be the one who would champion the motion.”
Further quizzed on whether it was a red flag, she said: “yes.”
In a covertly-recorded call with developer John Woodman that night, she said Cr Aziz “had it all muddled up”.
“Sam Aziz did a crap job tonight,” she said. “He didn’t do what I asked him to do. Anyway, he’s an absolute fool that guy.
“I mean it was just, uh, it — the bloody ball was in the goalsquare for him.”
Ms Schutz later labelled the besieged councillor “a f---in’ idiot”.
“If Sam Aziz had just stuck to his f---ing script we wouldn’t have had the f---ery we had tonight,” she said.
Ms Schutz was paid as a consultant by Elysian Pty Ltd, a company involved in a Cranbourne development, but told the commission she took instructions from Mr Woodman.
A “mortified” Ms Schutz said under questioning that she was “deeply embarrassed” that the explosive call had been made public.
She said she had built a “rapport” with Mr Woodman in which they spoke in a “jocular, blokey, off the cuff” manner.
“To have it played and broadcast nationally now, I am deeply ashamed of my conversations,” she said.
“It was a private conversation but if I knew it was going to be put on the internet … I wouldn’t have spoken like that.”
Ms Schutz said it had completely obliterated her professional reputation and earlier conceded that “I’m probably not a planning advocate going forward”.
“I am not proud of it today because I have lost my income,” she said.
Commissioner Robert Redlich quizzed Ms Schutz on why she appeared “mortified” about the foul language, but not the implication that she was trying to influence a councillor.
“It was the culture of the client,” Ms Schutz said. “It was the culture of what was going on.”
Ms Schutz is the fourth witness to appear before IBAC’s public hearings, as the watchdog probes allegations of planning-related corruption at the Casey council.
Mr Woodman — a Ferrari-driving developer — is accused of making $1.2 million in payments to Casey councillors Aziz and Geoff Ablett.
Ms Schutz told the commission that it was “not unlawful” as a planning consultant to draft motions, brief councillors and text directions.
“Sometimes I passionately champion the arguments that I’ve put together,” she said.
She added: “It sounds like I’m well and truly involved in briefing councillors.
“But I honestly have not known that they have been paid money and they have been bought.”
Ms Schutz also said that “on reflection, it should have crossed my mind”.
‘HE WILL NEVER EXPOSE ANY OF US’
Counsel assisting the commission, Michael Tovey QC, on Wednesday probed the role played by a Cranbourne West residents group that supported key projects being investigated by IBAC.
These included the rezoning of industrial land in Cranbourne West to residential and the immediate construction of an intersection along busy Hall Rd.
The commission was told that Ms Schutz set up the group and its president, Ray Walker, was paid tens of thousands of dollars by Mr Woodman’s company for market research.
It also heard that a barrister representing the residents group at an independent panel considering the rezoning was paid for by one of the landowners, Leightons.
In the brash call to Mr Woodman, Ms Schutz was heard saying that Mr Walker would “never expose any of us”.
She initially declined to reveal what she meant, telling the commission she felt “under pressure”.
But after a break during which she read a transcript of the call, Ms Schutz said Mr Walker would not tell a competing development company “that it was actually us engaging him”.
“You know, if the president of the local community group is also doing consultancy work and getting paid for it ... it looks conflicted,” she said.
In another fiery call, Mr Woodman alluded to a confrontation between his political lobbyist Lorraine Wreford and Casey councillor Amanda Stapledon, over whom the commission heard he had “influence”.
“Lorraine is going to give it to her between the eyes,” he said.
Asked what that meant, Ms Schutz said it was “John’s style in the way he talks and behaves”.
“Give it to her between the eyes - that is a common phrase of John Woodman’s,” she said.
“My understanding of what that means is talk straight, say it how it is.”
IBAC’s public hearings continue on Thursday.
‘RED FLAGS’ RAISED OVER WOODMAN’S ALLEGED DEALINGS WITH COUNCILLORS
A planning consultant working at the behest of a multi-millionaire developer has revealed there were “red flags” over his allegedly-corrupt dealings with councillors in Melbourne’s southeast.
Developer John Woodman is accused of making $1.2 million in payments to Casey Councillors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett, as IBAC probes allegations of planning-related corruption at the council.
Consultant Megan Schutz, who took “instructions” from Mr Woodman, said today that she was not aware of the payments but, on reflection, there were “red flags everywhere”.
The commission has heard that Cr Aziz last year moved a motion on a contentious Cranbourne intersection that was drafted by Ms Schutz, and that the besieged former mayor didn’t even understand the issue.
In a secretly-recorded phone call before the meeting, a “flat out” Cr Aziz asked Ms Schutz to email him details of what he should argue during the meeting.
“I’m managing three million things at the moment,” he said in the call.
“Do you mind if you write that to me in an email … what is the recommendation that we’re seeking tonight?”
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Ms Schutz said today: “He, clearly when I was briefing him, didn’t have his mind on the matter, and he was just doing to do it.”
Asked whether she knew at the time why Cr Aziz was so “amenable” to Mr Woodman’s interests, Ms Schutz said: “No, I was just told that he would be the one who would champion the motion.”
Further quizzed on whether it was a red flag, she said: “yes.”