I didn’t know they were donors: NSW Labor leader Michael Daley denies impropriety over DA’s, disclosure

NSW Labor leader Michael Daley says he had “no idea” developers whose applications he voted on were Labor Party donors.

NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley addressing the crowd at NSW Labor's north coast campaign launch today. Picture: David Swift.

NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley says he never knew any of the developers whose projects he was voting on as a Randwick councillor were donating to his campaign or the Labor Party — so did not declare the donations when they made development

applications.

Mr Daley has also claimed he did not know it was corrupt union boss and former national Labor Party president Michael Williamson’s house he was voting on when he voted for an extension for Mr Williamson’s then Maroubra house in 2001.

“I’m telling you hand on heart I did not know that was his application,” Mr Daley, who was deputy mayor and chair of the council’s planning committee at the time, said.

The Australian has revealed that Mr Daley was commissioned to do a site visit of Mr Williamson’s house and yesterday forced Mr Daley to admit for the first time, in the face of council records, that he had voted for the development.

The Australian also revealed Mr Daley had failed to declare a developer had donated more than $50,000 to the Labor Party and $3000 to the Randwick Labor council campaign when he voted for that developer’s applications to build apartments.

Similar accusations have been levelled against Mr Daley on other developments and a failure to declare during his time on council, which ended in 2008 while Mr Daley was still a member of parliament.

Asked why he did not declare donations when assessing development applications, Mr Daley said: “I didn’t know they were donors.

“The system at the time was imperfect because what you would have to do is ring up head office, find out if a person was a donor, do a company search and do a donations search.”

He said he was never lobbied by Labor head office on any development.

“All donations were not handled by councils. They were handled by party head office or a campaign director.

“In my 23 years of public life no one has ever called me to prevail on me to do such a thing

“No calls at all (from head office officials).

“I’m telling you truthfully that all these donations were handled at arms lengths from councils.”

Asked if he knew any of the developers were donors, Mr Daley said: “At the time of these development applications, the answer is no”

For the first time today, Mr Daley denied he had conducted a site visit to Mr Williamson’s old house at 31 Meagher Avenue, as the council minutes say he as instructed to do.

“I don’t believe there was a site visit … if there was a site visit, I would have undertaken it with a council officer. I’ve told you before I have no recollection of this DA.”

He said he “absolutely denied” he knew it was Mr Williamson’s house, although he confirmed he knew Mr Williamson at the time. The DA was lodged under the name of Mr Williamson’s architects.

“I don’t recall the DA. I sat on council for 13 years. There was a council planning meeting once a month and a council meeting once a month and hundreds and thousands of development applications.

“The only reason we’re standing here talking about this is because the government has no story to tell. The government is scared of me and scared of the Labor Party. They have nothing left to talk about.

“I’m prepared for more of this … all I can do is get up every day and promise positive policies for NSW and not indulge in the muckraking they people across Australia are disgusted about.”

Mr Daley was facing journalists after a North Coast Labor launch, with four critical seats in play on the north Coast for the March 23 state election, where he announced 5500 extra nurses over the next four years to be paid for by a luxury yacht tax.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian promised 5000 extra nurses earlier in the campaign.

Asked if he knew Mr Williamson in 2001, Mr Daley said: “I would have known Michael. As I said in the statement to you, I knew him in a cursory way from being a fellow member of the party. He was the junior Vice President (of Labor) … we’re not mates, we never have been.”

“We’re not friends, we never have been. We’ve never socialised together. I’ve never been to his house.”

He defended being one of just two of 14 councillors to vote in 2006 for councillors to declare donations when DAs were decided on, saying he moved to introduce even tougher standards.