[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) Planning Commission Won’t Remove Donations Stench

[Christopher Holley]

Planning Commission Won’t Remove Donations Stench
 
 
Reports that new Planning Minister Kristina Kenneally will reduce the
number of major developments to be referred to the Planning Assessment
Commission (SMH p.5) shows that the PAC was always little more than
window-dressing, according to NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale.
 
“The PAC is appointed by the Minister, it only deals with matters
referred to it by the Minister and it can only provide advice to the
Minister. It was never going to be independent and it was never going to
overcome the strong public perception that political donations are
tainting the development approval process,” said Ms Hale.
 
“The government has been trying to look like it is doing something
about the stench from political donations but it has done little more
than make a series of trivial announcements that will make no
significant difference.” 
 
“It is time the government delivered reform with real substance. That
means banning donations from developers.”
 
“The public does not accept that it is legitimate for a developer
with a major development application before the Labor government to be
making large political donations to the Labor Party,“ Ms Hale said.
 
“Whether or not the Minister sends it off to the hand-picked PAC to
give advice is irrelevant. The Minister is not bound by the PAC’s
advice. In the end the Minister makes the decision.” 
 
“New guidelines for Councillors say that if a developer has donated
to a Councillor’s campaign funds that Councillor should declare a
conflict of interest and not vote on the matter. Why does the same
prohibition not apply to a Minister whose party has taken hundreds of
thousands of dollars in donations from a developer?”
 
“The only genuine solution is for the government to move urgently to
implement its long-awaited promise to ban corporate political
donations,” said Ms Hale.
 
 Further information: Chris Holley 02 9230 3030 / 0437 779 546