Election 2025: Liberal contender denies ALP ‘developer’ allegation
The Liberal challenger to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has defended the legitimacy of a string of corporate holdings, despite Labor crying foul.
A Liberal candidate has denied any wrongdoing despite questions over a complex web of more than 40 companies linked to her and her husband – both self-professed property developers.
Greenway candidate Rattan Virk is contesting Communication Minister Michelle Rowland’s seat of Greenway – held on a 7.9 per cent margin – after spending more than a decade closely tied to the party through her advocacy as a part of the India Australia Strategic Alliance alongside husband Jagvinder.
Her candidate biography calls her an occupational therapist and rehabilitation consultant with experience running “a family business” and “leading trade and investment initiatives”.
However, her biography for the interfaith think tank Seiros – of which she is a board member – goes further, saying she is “director of a family-owned property development company”.
Under NSW Electoral Law it is illegal to be a political donor and a property developer – or the spouse of a developer – concurrently or within 12 months of each other.
Electoral logs show Mr Virk donated $2000 to the NSW Liberal state branch ahead of local elections last year.
The Australian is not accusing Mr and Ms Virk or the NSW Liberal Party of wrongdoing. There are no laws restricting property developers from federal candidacy, only NSW donations.
If political donors acquire and sell properties without an ongoing planning application or three more past applications, they are also not prohibited – meaning a candidate could flip property holdings provided they did not develop them.
“Those individuals are not considered prohibited donors under the NSW electoral funding laws,” a Liberal Party spokesperson said. “The NSW Liberal Party complies with all of our electoral funding obligations under relevant legislation.”
However, a senior Labor figure said the Virks had not provided sufficient transparency to voters about their personal holdings, given records lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission indicate the pair have held directorships and shareholdings in more than 40 historic and current companies, for most of which the purpose is indiscernible.
“Rattan Virk is either a property developer or has misled the public in her public biography; either way, as a candidate, that should raise real questions for both Rattan Virk and the Liberal Party to answer … to the people of Greenway,” they said.
“It raises serious questions for Rattan Virk, and it would raise serious questions for anyone looking at their nomination form in the Liberal Party.”
The federal Liberal Party was aware of the Virks’ involvement in property development prior to Mr Virk’s 2024 donation and Ms Virk’s Greenway candidacy, given opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar spoke alongside Mr Virk at the launch of a Thornhill Park development in November 2020.
“Dr Virk is like a brother … He’s a leader in the Australian Indian community,” Mr Sukkar said at the event. “Congratulations on this development. I hope the sales really ramp up.”
In a Facebook post accompanying the speech, Mr Virk acknowledged he had been in the business of property development for “a few years” through the company Oasis Land Estates.
“We – Oasis Land Estates – are so greatfull (sic) to Almighty God who has helped us to achieve the journey we embarked a few years ago in Property Development,” Mr Virk’s post reads.
Mr Virk was a director for Oasis Land Estates, which is registered in NSW, until October 30, 2024. Ms Virk was a shareholder in it through her company Waheguru13 Pty Ltd.
On October 24 last year, Ms Virk transferred directorship of the NSW-registered company Wilton 324 Pty Ltd to Mr Virk – the title of which seemingly references 324 Wilton Park Road in southeast NSW. They have both also had a stake in a company called Wilton First Investments Pty Ltd. The Wilton New Town development area is an ongoing township under construction in Wollondilly Shire.
Peter Dutton accompanied Mr and Ms Virk on a trip to India in November 2023 for the India Australia Strategic Alliance summit, and Mr Virk has posted on Facebook three other times since then when he has met with the Opposition Leader.
Ms Virk’s campaign hit a stumbling block on Monday when a truck bearing her campaign signage crashed into a community centre, with multiple men seen tearing her likeness off it.
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