Wollongong ICAC Report Doesn’t Go Far Enough

“I welcome the ICAC’s findings of corrupt conduct against various Wollongong Council officers, Councillors and developers, and look forward to the DPP’s consideration of prosecutions of those people who have acted corruptly or have created the conditions where corruption has been allowed to take hold at Wollongong Council,” said Ms Hale.

“I also welcome the anti-corruption measures proposed by the ICAC for Wollongong Council, an issue that I know the Wollongong Against Corruption community group has been pushing hard.

“I believe however that the ICAC report has merely scratched the surface in looking at the causes and extent of this sort of corruption. Public mistrust of the planning system is widespread and it extends well beyond Wollongong to other councils and to the state level.”

“One of the problems emerging from this report is that the definition of corrupt conduct under the ICAC Act is very narrow. For example the ICAC chose not even to ask Wollongong MP Noreen Hay about an alleged meeting with developer Frank Vellar and Labor Councillor Frank Gigliotti to discuss a possible Council recision motion in favour of one of Mr Vellar’s developments because “The details of the meeting contained in paragraphs 4 to 12 of Mr Gigliotti’s statutory declaration and his evidence to the Commission on 1 August 2008 concerning that meeting do not identify any impropriety on the part of any person.” (ICAC Report Part 3 p.117)

“Ms Hay’s attendance at the alleged meeting has not been proven and the ICAC has made no adverse findings against her. However most people would not consider it appropriate for an MP to play the sort of hands-on role described by Mr Gigliotti, in assisting a campaign donor with a development application. Yet the ICAC did not even bother asking Ms Hay for her version of events.”

“This demonstrates clearly that the broader issue of the relationship between development applications and political donations is not dealt with in this ICAC report and given its narrow definition of corrupt conduct it appears to be beyond the ICAC’s scope. Yet it is that issue goes to the heart of public distrust of the planning system and that needs a thorough, open and independent investigation.”

“That is why the Greens and the community are calling for a Royal Commission into the relationship between developers, political donations and development decisions at both local and state level, ” said Ms Hale.