By Ben Schneiders and Royce Millar
Premier Daniel Andrews told the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission he knew allegedly corrupt developer John Woodman and in 2017 had lunch with Woodman, Labor-linked lobbyist Phil Staindl and others.
The details of what the premier told IBAC in secret evidence were revealed as the commission tabled its Operation Sandon report into allegations of corruption surrounding planning decisions in the City of Casey.
Premier Daniel Andrews gave private evidence to IBAC.Credit: Drew Ryan
The lunch that Woodman attended arose from a winning $10,000 bid at a fundraising event, the IBAC report states, and Andrews said he did not recall Woodman or his associates raising planning issues with him.
Later, in March 2019, IBAC intercepted a phone call between Staindl and Woodman where the lobbyist said Andrews had told him the previous month that he had praised Woodman’s donations to Labor and lamented he was being pursued with allegations of corruption by The Age over a controversial rezoning in Cranbourne West, known as C219.
Woodman and others, including major developer Leighton Properties, were to receive windfall gains if the Cranbourne West land was rezoned from industrial to residential. IBAC has concluded in its report Woodman corrupted the planning and political process to win approval on a series of projects.
Staindl also told Woodman he had given the premier Woodman’s phone number and Andrews said he would like to call him.
The IBAC report, which made no adverse comments or findings against Andrews, provided a summary of his private evidence to the inquiry.
According to the IBAC report, Andrews told the commission he could not remember the content of his conversation with Staindl, or even having had a conversation at that time. He did not dispute he may have had the conversation.
He told the inquiry he was aware that Woodman had made substantial donations to Labor and said it was possible he acknowledged to Staindl the donations from Woodman. He accepted he would not have had an interest in alienating a Labor Party donor.
But Andrews said some of Staindl’s recollections – which the lobbyist later conceded may have included some exaggerations – did not “ring true” or “sit well” with him.
Andrews said he had known Staindl, a well-known Labor figure, for 20 years.
According to the IBAC report, Andrews said he would not have suggested to Staindl he had any role in the rezoning decision or that he had called Age investigative reporter Royce Millar an “arsehole”.
Andrews accepted Staindl may have given him Woodman’s phone number but said it was “highly unlikely” he would have asked for the number if it were to talk about a planning issue, the IBAC report stated.
IBAC said it accepted the “general tenor” of how Staindl had described his conversation with Andrews and that the premier had made a reference to inviting Staindl to tell Woodman his regret that the C219 development application had been deferred.
The premier told IBAC it was “highly unlikely” that he would have wanted Staindl to apologise to Woodman for the 2018 decision.
In intercepted calls in late 2018, it appeared Woodman had assumed he could lobby Andrews directly.
Woodman told Staindl in the calls: “Between you and me, I know I said that I wouldn’t go to the boss, but if we get pushback on this, I’m going to the top.”
The rezoning proposal, after earlier exposure in The Age and through IBAC public hearings, was rejected in 2020.
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