Developer John Woodman gave $50,000 through five different companies to the ALP’s corporate fundraising arm Progressive Business just prior to the 2018 state election, an IBAC inquiry heard.
Mr Woodman is under IBAC investigation over alleged corrupt land deals in City of Casey, including a land-rezoning push in Cranbourne West involving Labor MPs and Casey councillors at the time.
He was a top-tiered ‘Platinum member’ of Progressive Business, which gave access to Government Ministers at a range of social events.
These included cocktail events, state budget breakfasts, “ministerial speed dating” business forums and $1000-a-head Premier and Cabinet dinners.
As a high payer, Mr Woodman was entitled to seats for himself and his guests such as his planning consultant Megan Schutz at head tables with Premier Daniel Andrews or Treasurer Tim Pallas.
According to IBAC evidence, Mr Woodman gave more than $150,000 to Labor’s 2018 state election campaign.
At the inquiry on 7 December, Fleur Morales, Progressive Business’s executive director up until September, was asked about Mr Woodman’s $50,000 donation before the 2018 election.
She agreed the “invoice splitting” was designed to avoid the $13,400 cap for not disclosing the donation.
In 2017-’18, Mr Woodman’s company Watsons donated $25,000 to Progressive Business – which exceeded the cap and was declared to the AEC.
Since the 2018 election, the cap dropped to $1000 – which coincided in a waning of interest from State ministers.
Progressive Business donated a “bulk amount” of $1.143 million to the ALP in 2018-’19.
In the last five weeks before the state election, Progressive Business donated about $500,000 to the state ALP.
Since the 2018 donor reforms, the association was forced to channel its “surpluses” federally. It could no longer raise funds for state elections, Ms Morales said.
There was now “less appetite or interest” from state Ministers to take part in Progressive Business, as well as a membership decline.
“I couldn’t put a substantial program together,” Ms Morales told IBAC.
When asked if ministers still wanted to liaise with business, “I certainly wasn’t getting that impression.”
After an Age article with allegations against Mr Woodman in October 2017, Ms Morales confirmed she “made the call” that he was not able to attend Progressive Business functions.
“I’m not sure I would have been explicit about the article but there were definite sensitivities.
“Mr Woodman would have decided not to attend. But more explicitly it would have been a directive from either the event with the minister or the Premier’s office.”
She said Ministers or the Premier’s office would run through the guest list and say who couldn’t attend “at short notice”.
Woodman lobbyist Philip Staindl – a member and former director of Progressive Business – advises Mr Woodman in an email in 2017 that Mr Woodman wasn’t welcome at “intimate” functions.
But boardroom lunches – which comprise Ministers and up to 20 guests – were “fine”.
“The more people in a room, the safer people felt,” Ms Morales said.
