Casey Council has welcomed the release of the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) Operation Sandon report and pledged to continue to work with IBAC, the State Government and other relevant agencies to strengthen integrity in its decision making and promote transparency.
IBAC tabled its special report in Parliament on Thursday 27 July following action spanning back to November 2017 as part of Operation Sandon.
IBAC’s investigation was primarily concerned with four planning matters involving property developer John Woodman and his associates.
IBAC made a total of 34 recommendations to promote transparency in planning decisions and enhance donation and lobbying regulation in its long-awaited final report into allegations of corrupt conduct between property developers and councillors at Casey Council.
Each matter involved Casey Council as the decision maker and two required the planning minister’s approval.
IBAC has found that two former Casey mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett promoted property developer John Woodman’s and his clients’ interests on planning decisions in exchange for payment and in-kind support.
The State Government dismissed all councillors on 19 February 2020 and appointed a Panel of Administrators.
The report made 34 recommendations regarding the State’s planning processes designed to promote transparency in decision making, enhance donation and lobbying regulation and strengthen council governance.
Operation Sandon focused on very specific planning and developer matters and highlighted alleged impropriety and conflicts of interest by former councillors, not council officers.
Since the dismissal of councillors, and in line with the Casey Municipal Monitor’s report from February 2020, council has focused on delivering reforms which uphold integrity and transparency, including reviewing governance and integrity systems, setting out a clear governance audit and action plan, endorsing a new protocol and policy for councillors and their role in land-use planning and developing a new policy to guide strategic planning scheme amendment requests from proponents/developers.
Casey Council administrators chair Noelene Duff PSM said the council has been proactively engaging with IBAC since the investigation began.
“Throughout the investigation and since the Panel of Administrators was appointed, our focus has continued to be on delivering services and infrastructure for the benefit of the Casey community and there has been no impact on day-to-day service delivery to ratepayers,” she said.
“We have also undertaken reviews of historical decisions and, where necessary, have retracted decisions, with a focus on cancelling inappropriate funding agreements and rescinding non-value adding international arrangements.
“Council has been delivering on the reform recommendations set out in the Municipal Monitor’s Report and is committed to undertaking any additional work necessary towards improving Governance at Casey, in line with the IBAC recommendations.”
In April 2021, Casey Council also launched a new annual Community Leadership Program to provide free training for new, emerging and existing community leaders in Casey who want to build their leadership skills, learn about community engagement and local government, and to become leaders within the community, which was developed in line with a recommendation from the Municipal Monitor’s report.
In line with the Local Government (Casey City Council 2020) Act, the Panel of Administrators would remain at Casey Council until elections are held in October 2024.
The council’s formal response to the report and recommendations would be tabled at a future council meeting.
Casey Council would not be making any comment on behalf of former councillors.
