Casey councillors sided with rival developers and “private commercial interests” during a showdown over a road project in Cranbourne West, IBAC has been told.
Planning consultant and lawyer Megan Schutz told the anti-corruption hearing into Casey Council that then-councillors Gary Rowe and Sam Aziz debated a proposed intersection in Hall Road (H3) on 16 October 2018.
She said both had failed to declare alleged conflicts of interest and exclude themselves from the issue.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with both of those councillors … pushing private commercial interests when the community was just being used, really.
“The whole thing was an argument between two developers.”
Mr Rowe was “pushing” for developer Dacland, who sought to defer the intersection.
On the other side, Mr Aziz was arguing for developer Leighton Properties, which was seeking Dacland to pay the “lion’s share” of the intersection “as soon as possible”.
Leighton was allied with Ms Schutz’s client Watsons – owned by Ferrari-driving John Woodman.
This alliance was lobbying for the rezoning of 133 hectares of Cranbourne West industrial land to residential – which would have made Leighton a windfall profit and Mr Woodman a multi-million-dollar success fee.
They were also backed by a letter from Save Cranbourne West Residents Action Group (SCWRAG), which Ms Schutz helped to pen. The group was allegedly the “creature” of Watsons and Leighton Properties.
Ms Schutz coached Mr Aziz with text messages during the debate. She told the hearing that Mr Aziz was pushing for a case that “he didn’t understand”.
At the time, she hadn’t been aware that Mr Aziz had an alleged conflict of interest with Mr Woodman, she told IBAC.
IBAC counsel has alleged Mr Aziz received up to $900,000 from the developer.
A “faction” of “Liberal councillors” voted in a bloc favouring Mr Woodman’s interests in Casey, Ms Schutz said.
She named its members as Geoff Ablett, Amanda Stapledon, Sam Aziz and Wayne Smith who had “social relationships” with Mr Woodman.
“I assumed those social relationships had … arisen from the fact he had been developing land for such a long time in the City of Casey.”
Mr Woodman had told Ms Schutz about donating money to the state election campaigns of Ms Stapledon, Susan Serey, Mr Ablett and Mr Rowe, as well as him buying a horse with Mr Ablett.
But he didn’t mention payments to Mr Aziz, she told the hearing.
On the night of the H3 intersection debate, Ms Stapledon, Ms Serey and Mr Ablett left the chamber due to a conflict of interest. But Mr Rowe and Mr Aziz stayed.
Counsel assisting IBAC, Michael Tovey, asked Ms Schutz: “Despite the fact that you were … in the inner sanctum of Mr Woodman’s strategies, none of that caused you to realise that he was able to exert improper influence over councillors?”
On reflection it was a “completely unsatisfactory” situation, Ms Schutz replied.
“It was a corrupt situation.”
