[Greens-Media] Sylvia Hale MLC: Labor’s land grab powers a pay-off to developers?

[Christopher Holley]

19 April 2008 
 Labor’s land grab powers a pay-off to developers?
 
Frank Sartor’s proposed changes to the NSW planning laws represent a
massive gift to developers say The Greens. Not only do the amendments
fundamentally weaken council planning powers, remove public involvement
in planning decisions, they also increase the likelihood of corruption.
 
“These are the most developer-friendly laws since the 1970s, and the
public is entitled to suspect that they are the pay-off for the $9.9
million in donations that have flowed to the NSW ALP in the last five
years from property developers,” said Greens planning spokesperson,
Sylvia Hale MLC.
 
“The stench surrounding planning decisions in this State can only be
dispersed by:
1.      the Premier standing Frank Sartor down as Minister for
Planning;
2.      the establishment of an independent inquiry such as a royal
commission to investigate the interplay of donations and planning
decisions; and
3.      the Government and Opposition supporting The Greens bill, which
is currently before the Parliament, that bans the making or receiving of
developer donations
 
“Planning Minister Sartor’s so-called reforms will permit him to
compulsorily acquire land from one owner and on-sell it to another, even
at a loss.
 
“Yet Real Estate Agent Sartor justifies this as being ‘in the public
interest’.
 
“So long as developers are allowed to make donations to political
parties, MPs and candidates, and so long as political parties, MPs and
candidates are allowed to accept them, so long will people rightly be
cynical about the Minister’s notion of what constitutes the public
interest.
 
“The legislation nowhere defines ‘the public interest’, but clearly
it’s to be
ALP interests + developer interests = public interest.
 
“It looks like the ALP is proposing to sell the planning system to
developers,” concluded Ms Hale.
 
 
 
For details of donations go to: www.democracy4sale.org
 
 
Further information: Hazel Blunden:  0437 092 154;  (02) 9230 3030