By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY councillors Geoff Ablett and Amanda Stapledon have been cleared of misconduct, more than a year after it was reported they were being investigated over allegedly corrupt Liberal Party donations.
But State Ombudsman Deborah Glass has still urged tighter restrictions on political donations, warning that otherwise “a perception that politicians can be bought” could continue.
Crs Ablett and Stapledon – who stood as Liberal candidates in last year’s State Election – always denied wrong-doing after being interviewed as part of the State Ombudsman’s probe into donations and council planning decisions, first reported in The Australian last November.
Key allegations included that the councillors accepted donations from property developers in return for favourable council planning decisions.
Released on Wednesday, 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.
But Ms Glass 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 political party should be required to be published on a publicly available register within 30 days of the relevant election.
“There can be little doubt that the lack of transparency in political donations and the lack of limitations on who can make those donations in Victoria creates an environment in which allegations of improper conduct can flourish,” she said.
“Whether they are substantiated or not, whether such allegations are legitimately made or are made for political mischief-making as is often claimed, is not the point.
“Ultimately, they create a perception that politicians can be bought, which reduces public trust in government.”
Last year Star News reported that Bereavement Assistance director Kieran Worthington and general manager Adrian Gillman denied they or the business had donated to the Liberal Party or the two candidates, after being implicated in the allegations.
In August last year, Casey councillors approved Bereavement Assistance’s planning permit application for a funeral parlour at 236 Cranbourne Road, Narre Warren South – rescinding their decision to reject the proposal a month earlier.
