PUBLIC FORUM ON DEVELOPER DONATIONS
Posted by reformwcc on March 29, 2008
Public Forum on Developer Donations to be held n the Parliament House Theatrette on Tuesday 1
April from 1:00pm to 2:00 pm.
A flier is at:
http://www.sylvia.nsw.greens.org.au/webdocs/080317_donations_public_forum_flier.pdf
From Sylvia Hale’s Office:
GREENS BILL TO BAN DEVELOPER DONATIONS WILL END STATE-RUN EXTORTION RACKET
On 3 April this year my private members Bill to amend the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act is scheduled to be introduced into the parliament next Thursday. The Bill will make it an offence for a property developer to make a donation to a political party or candidate and for a political party or candidate to accept a donation from a property developer. It will also ban a developerwho has made a political donation from submittinga development application for twelve months.
PUBLIC FORUM ON DEVELOPER DONATIONS
The introduction of the Bill will be preceded by a Public Forum on Developer Donations to be held in the Parliament House Theatrette on Tuesday 1
April from 1:00pm to 2:00 pm.
A flier is at:
http://www.sylvia.nsw.greens.org.au/webdocs/080317_donations_public_forum_flier.pdf
This Bill will provide the test of whether theLabor and Liberal parties are serious aboutcleaning up the political funding system. Successive Liberal and Labor state governments have turned the NSW planning system into little more than a state-run extortion racket. Developers know that if they want to do business in NSW they will need to donate (ie give a cut of their profits) to whichever major party is in power at the time.
Premier Iemma denies that donations affect Ministers’ decisions, but he is treating the public like mugs. No-one accepts that the Labor Party should be allowed to solicit donations from a developer at the same time that a Labor Minister is making a decision that could be worth millions of dollars to that developer. It is a blatant conflict of interest and Labor refuses to recognise it. That is because where the public sees a conflict of interest, Labor sees a fundraising opportunity.
If you are concerned about the way our planning system is being corrupted by political donations I encourage you to come along to the public forum on 1 April and make your voice heard.
Hazel Blunden
Adviser to Sylvia Hale MLC
NSW Parliament, Macquarie Street
NSW 2000
02 9230 3030 ph
0437 092 154 mobile
