It’s heartening to see Four Corners following in The Australian’s footsteps

The ABC plugging this week’s Four Corners episode, All That Glitters:

Four Corners investigates how deals are being done on the Gold Coast and whether developer donations are ­influencing decision making.

Geoff Chambers in The Australian on June 24 last year:

Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates raised $170,000 for her local government campaign, hosting ­developers and prominent business leaders at race-day fundraisers.

Michael McKenna and Geoff Chambers in The Australian on March 24:

In a series of reports, The Australian revealed (federal Coalition MP Stuart) Robert secretly bankrolled at least $60,000 out of his Liberal ­National Party branch, the Fadden Forum, into the campaign of at least two “independent’’ candidates. A number of the independent candidates on the Gold Coast also received campaign assistance from a former adviser to (Tony) Abbott, Simone Holzapfel, now a lobbyist for property developers and a consortium proposing to build a new casino on the tourist strip. Ms Holzapfel helped run the campaign of Mayor Tom Tate, for whom she had once worked as a senior adviser.

Michael McKenna in The Australian on April 18:

In a series of transfers, (Stuart) Robert funnelled at least $60,000 out of his Liberal branch’s fundraising arm, the Fadden Forum, into the campaign coffers of two staff members and self-declared “independents” running in local council elections … Robert’s ­patronage — first revealed in a series of articles by The Australian — was complicated by allegations of a “secret bloc” of candidates being advised by a lobbyist for big-time developers in the brutal campaign on the Gold Coast.

Mark Schliebs in The Australian on April 27:

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has ­admitted to breaching the Local Government Electorate Act by using a personal bank account during last year’s election campaign.

Michael McKenna in The Australian on September 28 last year:

A Chinese government-owned company involved in the proposed James Packer-operated casino on the Gold Coast is linked to the building of artificial islands in the internationally ­explosive South China Sea dispute.

Anthony Klan and Rosanne Barrett in The Australian on August 1:

The Queensland government has ­rejected a proposed $3 billion casino and hotel resort development to be built at the Southport Spit. The proponents of the project were a consortium including Chinese state-owned enterprise China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The move follows a string of revelations by The Australian detailing concerns with the proposal, including claims in March that the parent company which ­wholly-owns the consortium — ASX-listed ASF — had just $6.25 million cash at December 31 last year.

Transcript of Malcolm Turnbull’s press conference yesterday:

Journalist: Are you getting sick of these interventions by Tony Abbott?

Turnbull: The only thing I’m focused on in this energy space is ensuring that businesses like Brent’s have got affordable and reliable power ...

Journalist: Surely, though, you would find it difficult to move forward, to get your message across, when Mr ­Abbott, who promised no meddling and no sniping, constantly does so? Is he actually helpful to the Liberal Party?

Turnbull: Look, I’m focused on being helpful for Brett (sic).