By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Councillor Amanda Stapledon has spoken publicly for the first time since she was cleared last week of misconduct over allegedly corrupt Liberal Party donations.
Speaking at the public council meeting on Tuesday, the Mayfield Ward councillor has told of the “harrowing” investigation and the “impact of watching my mother’s face” as the allegations were aired on the news.
Cr Stapledon and fellow councillor Geoff Ablett were cleared last Wednesday when the Victorian Ombudsman released her report, finding the allegations could not be substantiated.
But State Ombudsman Deborah Glass still recommended restrictions be put in place on donations made to candidates and political parties by property developers, while also recommending that all donations to a candidate or a political party should be required to be published on a publicly available register within 30 days of the relevant election.
Crs Stapledon and Ablett – who stood as Liberal candidates in last year’s state election – always denied wrongdoing after being interviewed as part of the state Ombudsman’s probe into donations and council planning decisions, which was first reported in The Australian last November.
“The process has been harrowing in terms of my concerns around perception and the impact of watching my mother’s face as my face appeared on television accusing me of something that she knew I had not done,” Cr Stapledon told the council chamber.
She said she “couldn’t stop shaking” after Ms Glass released her findings, following “a year of feeling sick to the stomach”.
“To those who may have been involved in this way, I say shame on you!” Cr Stapledon said.
After the findings were released Cr Ablett slammed the “faceless people” who he claimed tried to derail his election campaign with the allegations.
“Right over the 12 months I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong,” he said.
“It’s disappointing to have faceless people do that to you.
“It was quite a shock to me and it did have an effect on me and my family.
“You think what types of people are doing this?”
The Ombudsman’s findings from the political donations investigation also discuss allegations made against fellow Casey councillors Sam Aziz, now mayor, and Damian Rosario, who both did not run in the state election.
Key allegations included that councillors accepted donations from property developers in return for favourable council planning decisions, including the approval of a planning permit for a Narre Warren South funeral parlour.
In August last year, Casey councillors approved Bereavement Assistance’s planning permit application for a funeral parlour at 236 Cranbourne Road – rescinding their decision to reject the proposal a month earlier.
