by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Casey’s longest-serving councillor Wayne Smith says being named adversely in an IBAC investigation has done him “major damage”.
“It’s major damage to my reputation because I’m not there on council anymore,” the ALP councillor told Star News, referring to the councillors being sacked by the State Government in early 2020.
“I’m very proud of my time on council, the things I’m responsible for – I’m proud of that.”
An Operation Sandon report stated Smith appeared “wilfully blind” to his conflict-of-interest obligations involving developer John Woodman.
In private evidence, Smith told IBAC that he was unaware that donations – received via former mayor Janet Halsall’s spouse Bob – that “benefited (Smith’s) community work” were from Woodman.
They included $20,000 in sponsorships to allow Smith to travel to a music festival as part of his community radio program, as well as support to others seeking to study overseas.
After the report’s release, Smith told Star News that he wasn’t privy to Woodman’s involvement.
“I didn’t seek sponsorship (for the music festival trip). He ended up being a sponsor of the radio program.
“If anyone thinks it was a holiday, it was a fantastic experience but no holiday.”
IBAC found Smith failed to declare the conflict while voting on Woodman-related planning matters at Casey Council – something that he maintains was a “mistake” that he was not aware of.
As deputy mayor, Smith had chaired planning meetings and made decisive casting votes in favour of Woodman-linked developments.
He’d told IBAC he didn’t know who the applicants were.
“All sorts of company names and estate names came up,” he told IBAC.
“I wasn’t aware of the companies that (Woodman) may have been involved in or have an interest in.
“He never personally contacted me … and I don’t know that his representatives did either.”
Smith told IBAC that he didn’t read the growth-corridor council’s “voluminous” planning papers or take a “real interest in planning matters”.
Instead he followed the lead of councillor Sam Aziz – who has subsequently been accused by IBAC of failing to declare about $600,000 of payments and benefits from Woodman.
When asked by Star News if he would have acted differently in hindsight, Smith said: “It’s hard to say because at the time you are busy and you have a lot of trust and faith in others.
“At the time I had no reason to doubt that.”
Smith said no councillor was across every detail of council decisions, and wouldn’t be opposed to planning being instead decided by independent panels.
“Especially because planning was not my thing. There were other councillors who were across it.
“I had my expertises that other councillors knew I was across, as I did to others. There was no one all-rounder on council.
“It’s not a full-time job. You can’t be expected to be across everything.
“Hindsight is a great thing. I’m very comfortable standing on my record. There was some criticism of me – I have to accept that.”
Smith told IBAC he met Woodman about three times in 20 years, mainly at social occasions like charity events.
IBAC found there was evidence that Smith was indirectly briefed by Woodman on planning projects via Bob Halsall.
“IBAC does not accept Councillor Smith’s evidence that he was entirely unaware of Mr Woodman’s patronage, and of the projects in which Mr Woodman was interested.
“It is most unlikely that Mr Woodman would have extended financial support to Councillor Smith over several years, even indirectly, without expecting to obtain the benefit of Councillor Smith’s vote when the need arose.”
During the 2016 Casey Council elections, Smith was also among 11 candidates who were covertly funded by Woodman.
He did not declare $6743 in gifts from Woodman and linked entities for his campaign, despite Local Government Act requirements to do so.
Smith told IBAC that he believed Aziz was personally covering the costs.
“When I asked Sam that one time about it, it was made clear you know, I’m covering that – end of discussion.”
Smith, like several former Casey councillors, was critical of the “unfair” IBAC process. His responses supplying the “full context” didn’t appear in the final report, he said.
“I was fortunate my interview was private. I thought I’d be the last person but it’s dragged out and taken so long.”
When asked if he would stand again for the 2024 elections, he said: “Who knows? I haven’t even thought about it. Between now and then, it’s a long time.
“I’m still a very active volunteer in the community, I’m happy with that.”
