By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Casey chief executive Glenn Patterson has denied claims of a “strong connection” between him and John Woodman associates Andrew Wyatt, Megan Schutz and Heath Woodman.
The characterisation was made by John Woodman during a tapped call with Ms Schutz in late 2018.
“I say that’s big-noting, embellishment and boasting and completely misrepresentative of the truth,” Mr Patterson told IBAC on 5 March.
“I can’t speak for why – for their own ends why they might make that claim.”
At Andrew Wyatt’s invitation, Mr Patterson and his children attended a free lunch at a “cheap and cheerful” Blueways’ corporate box at an AFL home and away game in August.
In an “oversight”, Mr Patterson failed to declare it on the council gifts register until December, after the start of IBAC’s Operation Sandon hearings.
“I saw it as a social engagement at the time but on reflection appreciated that that was an oversight.”
The pair were Richmond fans, who had often talked about going to a game together when Mr Patterson had served as Yarra Ranges CEO, he told IBAC.
He hadn’t since met socially with his “acquaintance” Mr Wyatt.
The extent of their relationship was around “planning applications and development applications in the Shire of Yarra Ranges”.
Mr Patterson said any “strong connection” with Heath Woodman, a director of developer Wolfdene and John Woodman’s son, was a “complete fallacy” and “delusional”.
“I have never socialised with Heath Woodman in any form whatsoever”.
He had met with Heath Woodman three times in 18 months for feedback on Casey’s fee-for-service MOU, and twice regarding projects in the Yarra Ranges, Mr Patterson said.
As for Ms Schutz, “I’ve met the woman once,” he said.
“On the other couple of occasions when directly or indirectly she’s approached me seeking support of her view of things, on every occasion I have taken an opposing view and written back to her in those terms.”
In the secretly-recorded call with Mr Woodman on 8 October 2018, Ms Schutz described Mr Patterson’s decisive response after a Casey manager had reorganised a meeting with her.
“Within two hours Glenn Patterson had obviously intervened and, basically bashed (the officer) over the head and fixed another meeting with the right people at the meeting,” Ms Schutz told Mr Woodman.
Earlier Mr Woodman told her of the “strong connection between Glenn (Patterson) and you (Megan Schutz) and Andrew Wyatt and Heath (Woodman)”.
Ms Schutz replied: “Well, they, they know about the strong connection now because (the officer) got absolutely bashed over the head.
“So he has obviously went straight over, said what the f*** is this about?”.
Mr Patterson told IBAC that he didn’t recall the matter at all.
“That’s completely contrary to the way I lead and manage the business.
“I don’t go around bashing people on the head. I don’t dictate to people.
“I’m a collaborative, inclusive leader and wouldn’t have taken that approach.”
