Mayor defends ‘developer’ donation

BY MICK ROBERTS

The gloves are well and truly off in the City of Sydney local government election campaign with the Greens accusing Lord Mayor Clover Moore of accepting ‘dirty developer money’.
Greens Councillor Chris Harris said the refusal of the Clover Moore independents to support his motion for candidates in the September election to voluntary post donations of $200 or over on City of Sydney Council’s website was no surprise to him.
“The refusal of the Clover Moore Party to back the disclosure mechanism comes as no surprise to me,’ Cr Harris said.
‘In 2004 the Clover Moore Party accepted $30,000 of dirty developer money that was laundered through the old Living City party which was once headed up by former Lord Mayor Frank Sartor.’
Cr Harris also said the Lord Mayor and Sydney State MP accepted $8380 from Peter Holmes a Court, the developer of the South Sydney Leagues Club, in the run-up to the 2007 state election.
Responding to the claims, Cr Moore admitted the former Living Sydney political party made a donation of ‘un-needed funds’ to her 2004 local government election campaign.
‘The donation was offered without conditions by former lord mayor Lucy Turnbull and former councillor Fabian Marsden,’ Cr Moore told The City News.
‘I made enquiries as to the source of the funds and determined that they were unknown. I am aware of no evidence supporting the Greens claims about the source.
‘The unknown individuals or organisations that donated to Living Sydney are irrelevant as they have no capacity to influence me,’ she said.
Cr Moore said the risk of improper influence is why she has raised developer donations in the past.
Defending the donation from the joint-owner of the Rabbitohs football club, Cr Moore said she considered the entrepreneur a businessman and not a developer.
‘Mr Holmes à Court is a businessman not engaged in the development industry, who has been involved as a South’s Director with a development application lodged for the South Sydney Leagues Club and Football Club.
‘At the time Mr Holmes à Court made his donation, neither he nor Souths had lodged or announced the DA for redevelopment of the Club. ‘I have not subsequently received donations from him.’
Cr Moore said as part of a 2006 fundraiser, she received three amounts from Mr Holmes à Court: a donation to cover the cost of public housing tenants attending a fundraising dinner ($840); purchase of a table at the dinner for Mr Holmes à Court and his guests ($1440); and payment for an auction prize at the dinner ($6100).
‘I have asked my fundraising volunteers to take the approach that a developer is a person or organisation whose primary business or significant source of income involves property dealings,’ Cr Moore said.
‘If I have any other concern there could be a conflict of interest, I ask my fundraising team to refuse the donation.’