None so blind …

“In September 2005 the Minister for Lands, Tony Kelly, made an unconditional offer of $12.5 million to Unions NSW to buy the Currawong site and add it to the adjoining Ku-ring-gai National Park,” said Ms Hale.

“The then Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, and Minister Kelly, were reported to favour the purchase but it was strongly opposed by Michael Costa, the Treasurer at the time. In November 2005 the government’s offer was withdrawn.

“The Unions NSW tender process was overseen by ALP insider David Tanevski, a close friend of Costa and former director with Costa of the ill-fated Unions NSW computer venture, ‘Getonboard’.

“Another Costa associate was Allen Linz, a director with Tanevski of Kingsway Capital, which had a one-third stake in Getonboard. 

“Linz’s company, Eco-Villages Australia, made an offer of $15 million to buy Currawong. It was accepted in a deal brokered by Tanevski’s company KWC Capital Partners. 

“Ultimately Eco-Villages Australia paid only $11 million for the property – less than that offered by the State government and far short of the $30 million tender offered by murdered loan shark Michael McGurk on behalf of the Medich property group.

“Michael McGurk is reported to have said that Medich lost out because KWC had better connections with key ALP figures.

“In June 2005 KWC Capital Partners donated $29,000 to the NSW ALP. The deal to sell Currawong was concluded in February 2007. On 12 February 2007 KWC Capital donated a further $15,000 to the NSW ALP, and $24,000 just two weeks later on 2 March 2007.

“The questions that beg to be answered are:

§         why did the Department of Lands withdraw its offer to buy Currawong?

§         What influence was brought to bear on the former Treasurer to persuade him not to allow the deal to proceed, despite the Minister for Lands and the Minister for Planning strongly supporting it?

“For the ICAC to refuse to examine these matters is not good enough. The public has every right to expect it to conduct a rigorous investigation. After all, the pressure private individuals are able to exert on government decision-making lies at the very heart of the McGurk inquiry,” Ms Hale said.

Further information: Colin Hesse 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124