Election profile: Matthew Drake-Brockman

BY PATRICK BILLINGS

Matthew Drake-Brockman got his first taste of political argy-bargy when he took on Frank Sartor over the Carlton United redevelopment at Broadway. Brockman decided to sue the Minister for Planning and Fosters on the basis that the $2 billion CUB development wasn’t environmentally sustainable.

“It was just a really gross over-development with a bare minimum of ecological requirements that supposedly met the law,” he says.

Win or lose, Brockman was more concerned about the precedent it would set and the pressure it would put on developers to take ecologically sustainable development seriously.

His involvement in the campaign motivated him to stand on the Greens’ ticket, as number four, in the upcoming election.

“I want to be actively involved in affecting environmental change within the community and act in the public interest.

“If I was elected to council I’d make it a requirement that new developments cater 15 per cent of their unit space be set aside for low-medium income earners, such as people working in hospitality… as well as for young, emerging artists and students.”

Drake-Brockman denies being anti-development. Rather, he says he wants to change the way developers go about their business.

“The CUB site, under the modified plans, will probably set a precedent in development culture in Australia,” he says.

The Darlinghurst resident believes that, despite her green credentials, Clover Moore is simply blowing a lot of green smoke around.

“The CUB redevelopment is a case in point,” he argues. “Clover had the opportunity to take the initiative but she was going to actually approve it before Sartor took it over.”

The ambitious 31-year-old is juggling a law degree while working for ABC Radio Current Affairs. He plans to move into politics full time once he completes his degree.