Premier Daniel Andrews admits to receiving donation from developer John Woodman
Premier Daniel Andrews has opened up about his dealings with Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman, admitting he accepted a $2,500 donation in 2002.
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Premier Daniel Andrews has admitted receiving a $2500 donation from a Ferrari-driving developer at the centre of a state corruption probe, but says he has never discussed specific planning decisions with the embattled businessman.
In his first public appearance since the meeting at the up-market Melbourne Chinese restaurant Flower Drum in 2017 was revealed by the Herald Sun, Mr Andrews said he had attended multiple events with the businessman.
He also confirmed receiving a $2500 donation in 2002, but said it was declared in full accordance with the rules and led to no favours.
“It was declared as it should have been 17 years ago,” Mr Andrews said.
“He has never raised that with me and if he had I would have stood up and left.”
Asked when he became aware of Mr Woodman’s business links to alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi, Mr Andrews said it was through the media in 2017.
“There was some press reporting of that (issue) not long after that meeting, but again I have not been too concerned about his client list or those sorts of issues because, of course, I have not been someone who has sat down and talked to him about active planning matters,” Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews ruled out receiving any other donations from Mr Woodman for his seat of Mulgrave and also said he remained confident in his minister’s despite their links to Woodman also being revealed.
Mr Andrews said the meeting at the Flower Drum organised through Progressive Business was about was about support for the Premier’s Monash Children’s Hospital Golf Day.
“We might have had a discussion about frustration on broad policy ‘like councils approving things quicker’, something like that but no individual planning matters.”
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien on Sunday called on Mr Andrews to immediately release a list of meetings he had had with the scandal-plagued developer.
“He’s got questions to answer,” Mr O’Brien said.
“What did he discuss with John Woodman at these meetings (and) what did John Woodman ask for?
“(Andrews) was very keen to talk about lobster with a mobster, so he needs to talk about his dumplings with developers,” he said.
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Mr Woodman, director of Watsons developers, has spent the past fortnight being grilled by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission about $1.2 million in payments he made to Casey councillors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett.
He denies that the cash was in exchange for support for projects in which he had an interest. But in testimony from one of Mr Woodman’s lobbyists last week, former Liberal MP Lorraine Wreford conceded she had helped courier what she believed were bribes between the developer and Cr Aziz.
Weeks of explosive testimony at IBAC have threatened to engulf both sides of politics as the investigation centres on lavish donations from Mr Woodman to main political parties.